Perfect Covert Fantasy
by Lord Mehtul Bawkes
Summary: Meet Dutch Kotozaki. Your standard 19 year old person with a special past. He's getting some new tenants today. Who knows, they may bring adventure. Be aware though, for adventure often brings unforeseen consequences. Secrets will be unlocked, rules shall be broken and ancient plans will be set in motion.How will this scientific person fare in the worlds of magical impossibilities?
1. With new people comes new adventures

Touhou is the property of ZUN and his awesomeness. I do not own it.:(

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><p>In the space between worlds, there are objects, places lost forever in the maelstrom, left to drift between worlds and dimensions forever. One of these objects is a world, a land of opposites co-existing in relative peace. Once thought destroyed, it flows in-between worlds and drifts too close to a special place, a vault for magic and a land of untold possibilities. It connects and with it's connection it brings a shockwave of energy that reverberates across the land, jolting every magical being and continuing beyond the land's barrier, further on to the world outside, spreading everywhere like ripples on the water. It touches everywhere, tapping two sleeping minds on a moving train and onwards. It eventually meets a rather curious object. One sealed away and left to be forgotten. It strikes, jolting the object into activity. Long unused power sparks and it flares to life, activating a crystal.<p>

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><p>The crystal lights up...<p>

_Flash._

_a massive room..._

_"You shall become the sword."_

_Flash._

_Pain, blood..._

_"Your sacrifices is for the greater good."_

_Flash._

_Triumph..._

_"Kill him."_

_Flash._

_" How many?"_

_" Final count is 400. Men, women and children...their blood are in your hands."_

Dutch woke up.

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><p>The phone rang. Dutch, the middle of making breakfast, sighed and turned off the fire. He went to the living room and picked up the device." Hello?"<p>

"This is a friendly morning call from your neighborhood manager. How is your life, mr Kotozaki?" Dutch chuckled," Fine until you interrupted my egg cooking. How is the company?"

"Traxus is fine. The orders are flowing in after everyone knew about our smooth handling with the radioactive waste rods." " How's Nora?" Dutch asked.

"She is fine, although a little antsy over the new orders."

"Comes with the job." "Have you decided on my job offer?" the voice suddenly asked.

"Did you call me in the morning just to ask me a question that you have asked for 5 times and received the same answer 5 times."

"What, you gonna remain a NEET forever?" the voice asked.

"I'm not a NEET. I'm retired. There is a big difference. And besides, I rented out two rooms of the house."

"oh yes, that. You got takers?" "Yea. A pair of university students called me. Said that they needed a place to stay for a while."

"Ohhh, you going into business?" Dutch laughed at the question,"Not really, it's just to pass the time, and meet interesting people."

"How are they?" "They sound pretty decent."

"Are they pure?""Screw you!"Dutch snarled. "I kid, I kid"The voice laughed. Dutch sighed and shook his head at the caller antics.

"On a more serious note, how are the dreams coming along?" Dutch's humor dropped as he remembered his dream. " Had another one last night."

"If you need..." "I be fine, we both know what they did. And we both know what was the result. I manage. You got to remember, it is a eventual process." " Just saying." The voice uttered.

"Yea well thanks. Sorry about this but I got to get ready soon. What time will the car be at my house?" " 11am"

" Thanks for the free use of the car." " It's nothing. Got to help each other when we need it, remember?" The phone hung up. Dutch smiled again at his friend and returned to his egg.

11.30 am

Kyoto train station

The train pulled into the the berth, the whine of it's systems dying down. As doors open, the station is suddenly besieged with a wave of people bearing down onto it. If you were standing in front of the human wave, you probably would run. Inside the human wave, two university level students discuss their latest project, probably something really important or something really complicated. "Mary-chan, what do you think we will find searching here, a artifact or a youkai?" one of the students asked her partner.

Maribel Hearn checked her notes and said," I'm not sure Renko. The legends state that there was once a powerfull 'stone of gods' that was gave great power to the old Chinese emperors. After the westerners came, it was feared that they would take it and so it was hidden in the Kyoto area. But I think it will be highly unlikely that we be able to find it in the city, given the amount of underground work that has went on. It probably will be in the forested areas. And I think it will be a artifact."

Renko groaned," There goes my shopping." And then she brightened," We will probably find something amazing here!" Maribel smiled and laughed at her best friend's antics," Lets get pass the ticketing booth first." They picked up their luggage and moved to join the queue.

10 minutes later

At the entrance, a young man with brown hair stands waiting for his new tenants. As he checks his watch, he spies two young women heading towards him. One of the woman addresses him," Good morning Dutch-san, my name is Maribel Hearn. We spoke in the phone." Dutch moves to return the bow." Good morning to you too. I trust you had a fine ride?"

" The ride was fine, thank you. My friend, Renko Usami." Maribel introduces."Good morning to you as well,"Renko greeted. Dutch nods and says," Well then, now that our greetings have finished, shall we?"

The trio leaves the station and heads to the carpark where a limousine waits for them. Maribel and Renko jaws drops as they look at the vehicle. Dutch chuckles and motions," It is a bit extravagant but it was chartered for me by a friend and I had not enough time to get a replacement." Dutch mentally curses Aden again for his joke."Be that as it may, this is our transportation so shall we board it?"

Maribel and Renko got out of their shock and got into the limousine as the chauffeur bought their luggage to the back. Inside the limousine, there was a small plasma television, a minibar with very rare liquor and a gold skinned mini-fridge inside. As their jaws dropped in shock again at the luxuries onboard, Dutch sighs and for the third time in a hour, wonders how to kill a certain Manager.

One awkward car ride later...

The luggage are bought in, the rooms assigned and after a possibly weird start to a home stay, we find our trio seated at the table.

"So what brings the two of you to this beautiful city?"nDutch asks his new tenants as they mull over cups of hot chocolate.

"It may be abit strange but we are here in Kyoto on a treasure hunt." Renko said. Dutch cocked his left eyebrow. " A treasure hunt? What kind of treasure hunt?" Maribel started,"Ancient records suggests of a old magical artifact that gave the chinese emperors powers that gave them victory. When the Chinese Mongol fleet was destroyed by the kamikaze, it washed up upon this land shores. The clan leaders and samurai regarded it as a dishonorable object and kept it away, never to be found. When the westerners came to Japan, it was deemed to be dangerous for them to ever be united. To hide it, the emperor had it sealed in this area, never to be found again."

Dutch blinked,"Thats quite a tale. Can you back it up?" Maribel smiled,"Yes we can. Using old records, we managed to narrow it down to this area. Also, there have long been rumors of a hidden place. Lastly, during war world 2, after the two nuclear bombs were dropped, this area acturally started to give off harmless radiation that was highly similar to those released at the point of detonation. The source was never found and it was simply dismissed as traces of radiation bought by the wind."

"You are saying that this area gave off an energy echo." Dutch said."How do you know that it was not traces from the detonations?" Maribel grinned like a fox,"Because in the 1st of 1946, it all disappeared, without a trace."

"So what you are saying is that you have a legendary object that gave certain victory to the emperors of old, was sealed away forever to prevent it from being found by the west and apparently gave off an energy echo similar to that of a nuclear detonation after a nuclear detonation that happened. And one that shut itself down at the start of the new year. That's quite an object." Dutch summarized."Yes it is." Renko said.

"How do you plan to find it?" At that question, both women grimaced."We don't know." Renko admitted,"The records only spoke of a secret place. It did not specify where or give any hint. Our best shot right now is the area where the radiation was found."Dutch checked the map of the marked area. "You're lucky." Maribel and Renko look at him with puzzlement."The area of heaviest concentration appears to be at the base of a hill. A rather steep hill."

"Terrain aside, do you see any thing that is notable?" Renko asks. Dutch checked and shook his head,"Not really. But i have to say, a base of a hill is the best place to hide. It is your best shot and i am coming along." Both women stare at him in surprise at his sudden declaration."Any thing that has such a past will probably have a very surprising appearance."

After a day of planning, it was decided that the trio will wake up early (to the protest of Renko) and travel(via public transport, a limo was deemed to be too awkward) to the site to check out the area. When Dutch asked how they would carry on from there, he received a pair of smiles.

"Hottttt..." Renko complained as they trekked through the forest. The trio were moving through the forest towards the site where the traces of radiation were found. As they moved through the foliage, the humidity and the heat from the sun combined to create a heat storm in the forest. Even the insects were complaining in their own noisy way. As they came to a clearing, Renko cried out,"Stop, please. I need a rest."

As the trio stop to rest in a clearing under the shade of the treetops, Dutch asks the two women,"So how did the two of you decide to go on this trip?"Renko exclaimed,"It's our life's work."Maribel chuckled,"It's part of our club activities." "What club?" Dutch probed. Renko spoke,"The sealing club. The objective of the sealing club is to uncover any mysteries of the world, regardless if it is hidden inside a barrier. We believe that the mysteries themselves want to be found. It is only prudent that we find them."

Dutch whistled," Now that's a quite a speech but that's only a pretext, a means for it existence. What really compelled you to form this club? If it is personal, you don't have to answer."

Maribel laughed,"Just two good friends having fun."

Dutch thought about that answer then laughed as well," That's the best reason one can ever have."

The trio rested for a while then got up to carry on.

"So what about you Dutch-san? What compelled you to rent out a part of your house?" Renko asked. Dutch thought for a while and answered," To meet interesting people I guess. And if you can, please stop with the honorifics, they make me feel a bit uncomfortable."

"Okay Dutch-sa...Dutch." Renko said, before stepping on a pile of decayed leaves that collapsed under her foot. "AHHHHHH..." She screamed as her leg plunges through. As Dutch and Maribel rush to help her up, in the cave beneath Renko, the disturbance wakes up the guardians. As they detect the presence of a living aura, they get confused by the relatively small amount of it. One of them reaches upward to get closer to examine the aura but it suddenly jerks upward and disappears. Giving the motion equivalent of a curse, the guardian retreats back into the darkness.

On the surface, Renko checks her legs for any injuries while Dutch and Maribel inspects the hole."Hey look at this." Dutch called out."The hole has some kind of markings on it." Maribel stares at the hole."There is some kind of magical shield guarding this place." She said. As Dutch looks quizzically at her and asks,"How do you know that?", the forest suddenly burst into activity.

Suddenly from the foliage, men in gille suits burst out."What the hell?" Dutch cries as men swarmed around them. For his trouble, he gets a rifle butt that slams into the back of his head and knocks him out.

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><p>Well then. Thats my first attempt at a fanfic. Hope it doesn't crash and burn.<p>

Review please.


	2. Meet the Mask

_"Hey Dutch, what's the first rule of fighting smart?"_

_"Take cover or die?"_

_Laughter,"No silly, it's act like a wuss if you have to."_

Dutch opens his eyes. At first all he saw was a burr but as his eyes started working properly he could see that he was in a cell. He was alone in the cell which looked like it was inside a vehicle. Opposite him was a another cell which contained Renko and Maribel. Maribel looked up,"Dutch, you're awake. Do you feel okay?"

Dutch gingerly felt the back of his head where the rifle butt hit him."Other than a bruise on my head and me being inside a cell I believe I am fine. Who are these guys?"

"We don't know. They hit us with some kind of just woke up too." Renko said. Out of the three, she looked the worse. She had forest gunk all over her shirt and face. When she looked up and saw Dutch staring at her, she smiled sheepishly and explained,"I attacked them."

"You left a good man pretty incapable for the rest of the week." A man standing at the far end of noted. Dutch turned to look the speaker. He wore grey body armor and had a white opera mask covering his face."And you are?" Dutch asked.

"They call me Mask. You can call me that." Dutch's eyes narrowed,"And can you explain why you have us locked up?" The Mask chuckles,"Do you know your fellow explorers?"

"We just met yesterday." The Mask whips a sheet of paper out of his pocket and breathes in." Renko Usami, age: 21, occupation: university student(super unified physics major), ability: highly accurate chrono and location identification. Maribel Hearn, age: 21, occupation: university student(relative psychology major), ability: capable of see any magical boundaries/presence(possibility of further advancement). Your partners are very special people. And we require their services."

"And me?" "You are unexpected baggage. We have been trailing this two for several months now. We used the legend in this area to set up a trap for them. We did not however expect to have a third party coming along. But thanks to you, I now have leverage."

"What for?" Dutch probed. The Mask laughs,"I originally planned to use Miss Renko as leverage. But I loath to hurt anyone with an ability. Thanks to you, I can now get Miss Maribel to do the job and the two of them unhurt as well."

"What kind of job exactly?" "Are you a fool? The same reason why you are here of course. We had trouble looking for the Stone as well until you accidentally stumbled onto a opening and identified it as a ward. We had people trailing you all the way so when Miss Maribel found it, I gave to order to strike."

The trio breathed in the knowledge that they have been followed the whole time."So what are you going to do now?" Renko asked. The Mask answered,"Simple, you help me find the Stone and I will not have to shoot Mr Dutch here for your cooperation."

"Don't do it." Dutch hissed."I'm not worth it." The Mask smiled,"It's very heroic and all but you have to realize that sooner or later she will have to do it. Do it earlier and save us the time. Or do you want Mr Dutch here to die because of you?"

"I do it." Maribel said, looking emotionally drained.

The Mask smiles." that I have your cooperation I release you from your cell." He taps a control pad on the door."But first, guards." As a hidden door opens and several guards enter the room, they wore grey body armor with fingerless combat gloves and also wore balaclavas that had a slit which only showed the eyes. They also each had a pistol and knife strapped to their Mask tapped the pad again and the cells automatically swing open.

As the group head out of the room, Dutch saw that the room was indeed part of a vehicle trailer. They were at some kind of base camp. It had a couple of small helicopters on makeshift dirt helipads and trailers everywhere."We had to bribe an entire prefecture worth of people to get this stuff here and set up." As the group trooped across the small camp, they saw men in armor everywhere, either walking guard or resting.

Finally the group stopped at another trailer."This will be your holding quarters until we need you. Have a nice stay." The Mask said before turning to walking away."Oh yes, one more thing." He stopped. When he spoke again, it was a spine chilling cold."Take Mr Dutch into the forest and shoot him."

"What?" The trio cried out."You said that he won't be hurt!" Renko cried. The Mask laughed coldly."I only said that he won't be hurt if you cooperated. Because of your cooperation, I will not shoot him for it. However, security is another matter. Mr Dutch has seen and heard too much." With that statement, the Mask walk off.

Dutch gave a resigned look to the two women."Good luck," he said before being manhandled away. Renko and Maribel were pushed into the trailer despite their best efforts.

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><p>Rico was having a great time. First he got hired by some masked guy to play soldier for a cool 299999 yen, then he got some really cool weapons and armor and now he get to use the really cool weapons on someone. That fact that that someone will probably die didn't faze him because the only thing better than having a really cool gun is using the really cool gun, preferably on poor dude. Not being able to be caught just makes it sweeter.<p>

He and the poor dude was now heading through the forest away from the camp. The masked guy specifically asked for the guy to be shot as far away from the camp as possible. That was okay, Rico didn't really care where he was to shoot the guy as long as he gets to shoot the guy although the heat was seriously making him reconsider.

"Move!" Rico roared as he pushed Dutch. Dutch stumbled but managed to catch himself. Rico tched, disappointed that Dutch didn't fall. Other then having to walk to as far away as possible to shoot some poor sap in this heat that was not helped by the armor he was wearing(the masked guy made it very clear that any activities was to be done in armor), life was pretty good for Rico.

After walking for 10 minutes over very hard terrain, Rico and Dutch came on to a small clearing that was covered by the trees tops. Deciding that this was the right place, Rico ordered Dutch,"You, stand there!"

Dutch stood in the center of the clearing before Rico took his gun out of it's holster and placed the barrel right behind Dutch's head.

"Any last words?" Rico asked, feeling like an action star hero. They should totally film this, this has to be the best scene ever, he thought.

"Your safety still on."

As Rico instinctively looked to check, he already realized how stupid it was that he fell for it. Dutch spurn quickly in place and grabbed Rico's gun. He quickly wrenched the gun out of his grip. Reflexively pulling the trigger of a gun that was no longer there, Rico could only watch in stunned disbelief as Dutch flipped the gun around, grabbed it by the barrel and slam the butt right into Rico's head. He blacked out.

Dutch stared to the man he just knocked. Even unconscious, the guy screamed amateur. Dutch laughed at the number of times he could have attacked him as they went through the forest. As he start stripping the man down and wearing on his armor, he wondered why he didn't get him the first time he could and save himself a long trek back to the camp. Dutch realized he wanted to see how long the idiot would realize that Dutch was clearly leading him.

"Bite me." He said as he put on the balaclava. As he reached for the pistol, he realized, it really had it's safety on. Slotting it into the holster, he turned on the inbuilt radio in the armor and spoke into the voice synthesizer attached microphone,"Target is dead." The radio answered in a synthesized voice as well,"We heard no shots." Dutch answered,"A shot might have alerted any nearby people so I beat him to death." "Very well then, head back to camp." Dutch turned to go back to camp, to be another random soldier.

But before he walked into the forest, he turned to the half-naked man lying on the forest floor and remarked,"There is a reason why they only do executions so close in the movies."

Back at base camp, unaware of Dutch's escape and thinking he was dead, our two women sat down and mourned him.

"That monster." Renko growled."Dutch didn't deserve it." She was a picture of bottled rage. On the other hand, Maribel was sitting the bed in the trailer. She had her hands covering her horrified face. "If he didn't came along this wouldn't have happened." She whispered. Her eyes were swollen red from crying.

The trailer door opened and the Mask walked into along with two guards carrying trays of food."Eat." He ordered."You will need your strength for tomorrow."

"You bastard. He did nothing." Renko growled. The Mask simply sat down on a chair and spoke to her in a condescending voice,"I already explained my action. It was for security reasons. It's hard enough that I have 60 plus men on site without having some random guy knowing about our operation."

Just then, the Mask's radio buzzed."Sir, charges are set around the hole. What are your order?" "Detonate. What of the extra?"

"Taken care of." The Mask laid back down on the chair."Let the next phase of the game begin."

A long way away, a group of men retreat away from the hole into the forest. The 5 charges set there start blinking away until the last second where a electric charge surges in the detonators, igniting the 5 satchets of c4 and blowing a hole in the floor. The shockwave across the cavern triggering seals everywhere. The cave pulses with power as unnatural life spreads across. Rock, wood and water come to life.

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><p>Mayohiga<p>

Ran Yukamo was tired. First there was the shockwave that woke up every single magical being in Gensokyo, which is to say, everything. Because of that, the fairies decided to start a forest-wide shooting war but that was left for the hakurei shrine maiden to deal with.

Then some genius tengu decided to spread that the barrier was breaking. Suddenly there were youkai and humans everywhere acting like idiots. The tengu village mobilized it's entire army, the oni started the biggest underground party yet in Old Hell history that somehow threaten to destabilize the underground nuclear reactor, the Kappa were practically salivating over the expected influx of human technology, the Human Village went into a state of panic, the Scarlet Devil Mansion were preparing to open a escape portal that would have sucked half of Gensoukyo along with it and the Heaven envoy kept requesting an audience. Ran had to go everywhere to smooth their fears and crack a few idiot people skulls along the way.(Although it was quite satisfying, she had to admit.)

At least the Lunarians had kept their senses. Of course with their resident genius they would have known if anything was really wrong but at least they did not cause a hassle.

And she wondered for the 5th time today why her mistress ever had the urge to offer that genius tengu a shikigami position. The very same mistress who slept through the whole day after the shockwave, letting her take the full force of the diplomatic footwork. She was a kyuubi, for Suwako's sake, not some fancy human talker like those ones they saw on the television.

At least the day's drama was over. But as she lay back down, she suddenly felt a burst of power course through her.

She tried to search for the source of the burst just as her mistress drops in through a tear in reality."Feel that?" Yukari asks.

Ran nods her head."What was that?" She asks.

"A signal to prepare for new guests. Inform the lunarians. Tell them that the shield is breached." Yukari said."And prepare this place for visitors. Where is Chen?"

"She is at the magical forest helping to put down the fairies Yukari-sama."

"Ask her to stay at with that team 9-ball. The visitors might be a bit hostile. Now go."

As Ran disappears, Yukari sits down on a couch and closes her eyes. Soft snoring could be heard 5 seconds later.


	3. Puzzle door

_Audio log_

_Date: 2014/July/21_

_Recording officer: Dutch Kotozaki_

"I thought I left action all behind. But then it comes back, in a roundabout way. I decided to rent part of the house as a way to get some quick cash and meet interesting people. First takers were a pair of university student on a, get this, treasure hunt for some kind of stone that apparently has superpowers. I decided to going along to see if it was true."

Deep breath.

"But when we got there, a group of guys attacked us. They were in gille suits so it was very hard to see them but I should have felt some kind of clue. I'm getting rusty. Got knocked out, woke up on some kind of cell in a vehicle trailer and met some guy that wore a mask and called himself Mask. Explained that they were after the same stone and revealing that my two tenants had magical abilities."

"As if life wasnt weird enough. At least my life."

"After that we got out of trailer and we had a little trek across the base camp. Whoever this guys are, they got some serious funding. I saw stuff I remember only seeing in war zones. They had military-grade scout helicopters and a level 4 biohazard trailer. I haven't saw one of those since the raid of the bio-weapon facility in Chad. Got to a trailer where my two tenants were to be housed and where I was issued my death warrant. Got pulled to the forest."

Another breath.

"Knocked out my executioner. Guy was definitely amateur. My guess is almost all of the people here are the same, hired off the street. Training will likely be minimal to low. The uniform that this guys wear hides their identity. They use voice synthesizers on their radio. It is likely whoever doing this operation don't want to be identified."

"And all this activity is stirring up the nanites. I can almost feel them throughout my body again. Its like they are screaming for me to reactivate them again. Ever since I went back to the camp, they been busy. For the last day or so, the caretakers been sending me system readings. I got to get out of here as fast as possible before anymore activity wakes them."

"One problem at a time now, I guess. Still have to get my two tenants to safety first. They're getting people to go down the hole to go check it out. From what I heard, those two will be there as well. It will be the most unexpected time to rescue them. And I fully intend to."

_/End report/_

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><p>The Hole<p>

12:30

"Team 1 will rappel down first. Once they give the all clear, Team 2 will rappel down with the two packages." The Mask briefed."As of this moment, all unauthorized radio signals are to be turned off. The people allowed are only Team 1, Team 2 and Command. Team 1 at the current moment is down by one man. Any volunteers?"

Dutch immediately stood up."Good. That bring it back up to a nice even number. The rest of you will be set to perimeter duty and other various support activities. Team 1 and Team 2, head to the armory trailers. Dismissed!" The Mask barked.

As the trailer is emptied, Dutch follows Team 1 to another trailer. Inside the trailer, there were gun lockers full of weapons. There were racks of equipment such as helmets and other equipment.

The Team 1 Leader heads to a wall mounted glass locker that had keys inside. He pressed his fore finger on a blue button on the glass locker. The locker beeped, let out a "identify confirmed" and swung open. The Leader grabbed the keys.

He opened the gun lockers using the keys and passed out the weapons stored inside. When Dutch looked at the weapon, a wave of information burst into his mind.

_/Classifying...Stand by/_

_/Identified/_

_M4A1 (short barreled valiant)_

_Action:Gas-operated, rotating blot_

_5.56x45mm_

_30 round mag_

_Muzzle velocity:884m/s_

_Effective range:500m_

_/Attachment detected/_

_Holographic red dot reticle sight_

_/Modification detected/_

_Left-side charging handle_

_/Classification complete. Request further info?(Y/N)/_

Dutch scans the information quickly and then mentally pushes no. As he processes the implications, he quickly revises the the time table for system activation to a day earlier.

Acting as if nothing happened, he grabs the magazines passed around by the Team Leader and slots them into holding bands in his body armor.

"Alright, just for the rookie, regarding call signs, my call sign is Tier 1 Lagos. Your call sign is Tier 1 delta. Check with your fellow team mates for their call signs. No names." The Team 1 Leader instructed as he passed out helmets to each of the members.(For easy writing, Team 1 Leader will be called Lagos.)

After checking with his fellow team members for their call signs and picking up a backpack of equipment, Dutch and the other members left the trailer for the entrance hole.

At the entrance hole, he saw Maribel and Renko. They were surrounded by the men of Team 2. Their faces were haggard but there was an ember in their eyes. Also in the group was the Mask.

"Are the packages ready?" Lagos asked the the Leader of Team 2.

"As ready as they will ever be."

"Alright, First two, rappel down followed by the next two followed by the next. Once you are all down, clear the area of any problems and give the all-clear then we will send the next team in with the packages. They will handle the rest." The Mask instructed."I'll be in the command trailer to supervise from there."

The ropes were thrown over the dark hole and Lagos and the second member of Team 1 grabbed the rope and started their descend.

"1 meters...3 meters...5 meters...10 meters." Lagos counted before hitting the floor of the chamber. He and the other team member let go of the ropes and turned on the twin flashlights inbuilt into both sides of their helmets before holding position in a defensive circle.

As they scanned the area around them, the next two members feet touched the floor. They quickly released the cables and moved to join in creating the next part of the defensive perimeter.

Dutch and the last member grabbed the rappel cables and went over the edge. As they slowly lowered themselves, Dutch saw a dark green blur that flashed across the darkness. When he focused in on it, only blackness was to be seen.

Finally when the last two members touched the ground, Lagos ordered,"Flares out." One of the team members dug into his own backpack and brought out a flare gun.

He slotted into a magnesium flare and fired high into the darkness. The timed explosive exploded at it's highest point and bought a wave of artificial sunlight onto the room. What they saw was shocking.

They were in a really massive chamber. It was easily 15 meters across from one end of the room to the other. The team was standing a stone platform raised above the ground that took up around half of the room and lead to a stone door. But that was not the shocking part.

On the dark walls of the room were skeletons, some in long rusted armor.

The skeletons were lifted by roots that went through their chests. Big thick roots that went through the ribcage and disappeared back into the soil.

And on the ground around the platform were sharpened bamboo stakes with even more skeletons. The some of the skeletons had broken bones as if someone had bashed them with a sledgehammer into the bamboo.

"My god..." One of the team member whispered.

As the team took in the gruesome sight, a crumble bought the attention of the whole team to a hole in the wall. A couple of rocks fell from the hole but no other movement could be seen.

Lagos turned to his radio and spoke,"Area clear but something could be done about the sight."

"Understood, beginning the descend."

As the members of Team 2 begun their descent, Dutch and another member examined the large door.

It was simple, a dark blue hue encased the whole back ground. What was intriguing about it was that it had a picture of two moons. One was covering the other so only a small silver could be seen.

As the two examine the door, Dutch reaches out to touch the door.

The door reacts to his touch, sending light blue energy ripples from where he touched across its face. Then it glowed brightly.

The door sends out a deep pulse that knocks back Dutch and the other guy onto the floor. The pulse travels the perimeter of the room along the walls, dislodging centuries-old soil from the walls.

When the two waves of the pulse meet at the opposite end of the room, they combine together and releases a wave of faint light that rushes from the impact point, spreading along the walls. It returns back to the door, leaving small rows of lighted crystals in it wake.

The crystals provided faint blue light that allowed the team to see the whole chamber but did not blind them.

"Now thats some cool shit."Lagos noted.

* * *

><p>The guardian waited.<p>

The intrusion this time was far larger than the day before. Large enough that it could sense that there were multiple sources of them this time.

It gave a happy wiggle. It has not had proper sustenance dangled in front of it for centuries. The sunlight above only barely gave it enough energy.

Around it, it's fellow compariots were also waking, sensing the feast in their domain.

As they move to their positions, Team 2 begins their descent.

Detecting the entry of more auras, the guardians freeze and reassess.

If there were more coming, the better.

They settle in.

Having waited for centuries for such an occasion, they can wait for a few minutes more...

* * *

><p>Team 2 and it's packages were now on the ground floor.<p>

As the majority of the teams moved to examine the skeletons on the bamboo spikes or just wait on the platform, Renko and Maribel were checking the door under guard.

The two initially were disgusted when they saw the skeletons but like the rest quickly learned to ignore them.

"I see several magical boundaries. They appear to be part of some kind of locking ward." Maribel noted as she concentrated at the wall with her eyes. Lagos nodded,"Okay, that's good. Now can you open it?"

Renko gave him a burning glare."She's trying her best." She hissed.

Lagos shrugged and walked away."Not my problem."

As he walks away, the other masked guard walks close."What do you want?" Renko spit, venom in her voice.

"It's me."

Renko and Maribel eyes widen in shock."But your supposed to be dead." Maribel whispered out.

Dutch responded with a smile in his voice,"Let's just say that the guard was not as competent as thought. Now can you just act normal, I don't want to alert the others."

Renko and Maribel nodded and turn back to the door.

Around them, the guardians shift...

* * *

><p>Back on the surface, the Mask stand in the command trailer, watching the monitors show the progress of the teams.<p>

"Sir, the identity papers you requested came through." A assistant reported as he bought in a stack of papers. He was one of the few that actually followed him wherever he went with absolute loyalty, an irreplaceable person by any of his standards.

"Leave them on the table." The Mask said before sipping a cup of coffee. Wearing a opera mask that left the mouth open had several advantages over a balaclava, namely the ability to drink with the mask still on. One advantage that he used to the full extent.

As he watched the progress of the people he sent down, he wonders if any of the people he hired had any extent of knowledge of what they were searching for.

Probably they knew, they all would try to get it for themselves. Or run.

But ignorance is bliss. Bliss for them since all they care about is only the pay they get and bliss for him as money is the cheapest thing for him. And if they tell anyone, well dead men are pretty good demotivaters.

As his mind roams, he reaches for the papers. The small stack surprises him. This is a lot of information for a random person.

As he flips open the first page and starts to read it, a frown appears under his mask. It deepens as he reads on.

And when he flips the next page and reads the first sentence, his eyes widen in shock.

Crash! The cup announced as it meet the floor. It is followed by the soft flutter of paper as it too follows its ceramic companion onto the floor.

"Sir, is everything alright?" The assistant asked. He was answered with a cold but fearful voice.

"The operative that was sent to kill the extra yesterday, did he return?"

The assistant racked his memory,"He did, fact he was the one that volunteered for the man that one of the packages took out."

"NO!" The Mask yelled before exploding out of his chair and dashing for the communications section of the command trailer.

"Get me Team 1 Leader NOW!" The Mask Roared.

* * *

><p>Back in the chamber, unaware of the drama above, Dutch watch as Maribel slowly crack the puzzle of the door.<p>

According to her, the door opens when the other moon is fully revealed. It sounded simple enough. The process to do it, on the other hand, was so confusing that Dutch retreated after 10 seconds worth of explaination.

Now Maribel was manipulating some kind of puzzle that only she could see. And it was working. After 2 minutes, already half the the second moon could be seen.

"How long more?" Lagos demanded.

Renko simply gave him a burning glare of supernova power.

Lagos shrugged and turned away. He gets paid even if he acted like an ass all day so he really didn't care to be polite.

Just then, he reached up to his radio."Come in command. I can barely hear you." He moves away to get a better reception.

As Dutch watched Lagos, he could not help but feel as if they were in a trap.

His senses were screaming for him to get out but as he scans the walls again, there pretty much nothing that could hurt anyone unless they decided to jump into the spikes.

As he turn around to get a full view, a flash of moving green catches his eye.

Snapping his rifle up, he only sees rocks falling around a root.

Mentally cursing himself for overreacting, he lowers his rifle, still uneasy.

"Hey rook! Command wants you back up topside." Lagos ordered.

"Now?" Dutch asked as he turned to face Lagos. He found himself facing down the barrel of Lagos's gun.

"Yes now."

Then all hell broke loose.

Suddenly from a hole in the wall, a blur shoots out and stabs Lagos through the back.

"Wha..." He breathes before he is lifted into the air. As his blood ran down the guardian , it got absorbed by the skin of it, now shown to be a root. He was pulled by the root into a hole.

Renko screamed. As if it was a signal, roots started shooting out of the holes in the walls to attack the team members. As the men fought back with their guns, several were speared by the roots and pulled into holes.

Dutch cursed. Homicidal roots was something that he never expected to get. As he pulled back to the door, firing his gun in the three round burst setting, he spies Maribel and Renko crouching against the door in blind panic.

"Get that door open!" He yells.

Maribel snaps out of her terror,nods and turn back to the door. Controlled panic increased her speed into solving the puzzle but there was at least a quarter of the moon left to reveal.

As Dutch fire at the roots, one shoots out of a hole towards him.

He quickly dodges the sharpened tip of the root but the body suddenly curves and slams into his helmet, crushing everything mounted on the Kevlar is sent flying into the door.

Sliding onto the floor, Dutch's world get enclosed by darkness.

* * *

><p>"What the hell is happening?" The Mask yells. First the extra and now this.<p>

"You should see for yourself, sir." One of the operators answered.

When the Mask looked at the camera feed, all he can see is green blurs. Cycling through the feeds, he finally get one that show what is attacking his men.

The helmet-mounted camera show a root, dark green and apparently alive. Unfortunately, it also showed the root through the chest of the poor soldier. Then another root flashes into the screen and the feed turns to static.

The Mask stares at the screen."Prepare the Fuel Air bomb." He orders.

The room explodes into protests."Sir, they are still alive." An operator exclaims.

The Mask point at the screens.

"They are dead men. Prepare the bomb NOW."

The room goes silent as the Mask leaves.

* * *

><p><em>Detecting ultra- high adrenaline levels/_

_..._

_/Accessing recent memory/_

_..._

_/Threat detected/_

_Type:Unknown_

_Danger level:Lethal_

_..._

_/Classifying options/_

_..._

_/Classification complete/_

_..._

_/Activating counter measures/_

_..._

_/Warning! System unable to comply/_

_..._

_/Running system scan/_

_..._

_/Scan complete/_

_System unable to comply due to:_

_(Systems wide lockdown)_

_(Operator current state:unconsious)_

_..._

_/Rebooting Primary Systems/_

_..._

_/Overriding Lockdown/_

_..._

All over the body, nano bots started to come online. As they come alive, they joined the flow of blood throughout the body, using it as a highway to their designated positions. On the liver, the nano bots clump together to form a small grey tumor-like growth that moves around the organ, using the stored glycogen and fat to create more nano bots. In the lungs, the thin layer separating blood and air becomes saturated with nano bots that help to increase the oxygen intake and filter the air. In the eye, bots clump around the cornea, acting as an enhanced visual processor. In the muscles, the bots saturate the fibers, waiting for instructions.

/_Primary Reboot Complete/_

...

/_Initiating Operator revival/_

Dutch wakes up. As the past events of the chamber runs through his mind, a series of lines pop unto his still closed eyes.

/_Primary systems reboot complete/_

_/Operator revival successful/_

...

_/Threat detected/_

_/Activating counter measures/_

_Target identification module_

_Increased oxygen intake_

_Low light vision module_

_Increased reaction response_

_..._

_/Primary systems. online/_

_/Secondary systems. Lockdown in effect/_

_/Initiating data override. Estimated time:3 Days/_

_..._

_/Activating biological HUD/_

_/Screen start up enabled/_

_..._

_/Youth kombat Argumentation initiative Operative:Dutch Kotozaki/_

_..._

_/Ready for action./_

_..._

_/PROJECT YOUKAI/_

As Dutch opens his eyes, he was now seeing through a HUD as if he was in some kind of helmet. The scene was almost exactly the same as of it froze for him. Renko was running towards him, Maribel was at the puzzle and he could still see the members of team 1 and 2 fighting.

Renko ran up to him and kneeled down."Are you okay?" She cried. There was controlled terror in her eyes.

"I'm fine." Dutch answered. He sees a root aiming toward Renko. Quickly grabbing his pistol out of his holster, he fired, repeatedly sending 9mm rounds into the animated root until it retreats.

As he get up, he picks up his rifle. Both he and Renko move to the door. By then, Maribel had almost finished the puzzle. The second moon was almost fully revealed, showing a city and a sea on it's surface. Only a small shiver of the sea was covered by the first moon.

...

_/Threats highlighted/_

...

Dutch turned around. In his view, the roots now had red lines outlining them.

As he fired his rifle at the nearest root, he glances at the walls of the chamber. It was a wall of moving red.

"Shit." He curses.

* * *

><p>FINALLY! After a couple of days of typing and many more days of cold feet, i finally got the courage to post this.<p>

Just read and review. Don't rip me a new one.


	4. Extreme gardening

Life is a fickle thing. Sometimes it gives you a type 1,it let's you have your way, sometimes it gives you a type 2,it compromises, sometimes it does a type 3, throwing stuff at you. And if life wants to be a total douche, it can do the latter but the stuff is something so unbelievable you have to question your sanity. That is called type 4. Or for the less eloquent, Shitty day.

And fighting magical animated homicidal roots is a confirmed type 4. Unless your the kind whos sanity is in the realm of the gone. Then you can be excused.

"Maribel! How long more?" Dutch yells as he reloads his rifle.

"Give me thirty seconds." She returns as she steadily uncovers the final parts of the second moon.

"We don't have thirty seconds. Hurry up!" Dutch pulls the charging handle of his gun and fires away at the roots.

It pretty much was a losing battle. For every root that Dutch sent back into it's hole, 2 more would show up. The only reason they were not dead yet was because the roots were concentrating their efforts on the larger group of 8 men in the central platform of the chamber.

8 men armed with guns. Guns that in the right hands might have lasted them long enough for someone to send reinforcements. But this men had minimal training, being selected off the street of their love of money, not combat skills.

So they were all dead men. As Dutch sent another root back into it's hole, one sweeps over the floor of the platform, smashing into one of the soldiers with enough force to break ribs and send him flying into the array of bamboo spikes that jut out of every other section of the floor.

The man screams were short lived.

Finally after a lifetime of fighting, the moon was uncovered. The door gave a rumble and it started to rise.

"Head for the door!" One of the remaining men yelled. But as the group started to move, roots suddenly burst through the floor of the platform. One unlucky man was speared through his crotch. He hung in midair, his lifeblood eagerly absorbed by the root.

And in all this chaos was Renko. Helpless, she could only watch as men died in front of her.

"Let's go!" Dutch yelled. Renko suppressed her emotions and turned to run for the door. She could recollect later when she was alive and safe.

But as the door rose, a trio of roots came out and reached for the door. They started to push the door down.

Dutch looked at the door. It had risen high enough for a person to go through if the person bend his back. But it's upward progress was being slowed by the roots. Eventually the roots would push the door back down.

"Get through the door before the roots close it!" He yelled.

Maribel and Renko run through the door as Dutch does a fighting retreat to cover them. Once both of them were on the other side, he dashed for the door.

But as he almost reached the door, a root wraps around his leg. He falls hard onto the stone floor. His rifle falls in front of him, just beyond reach.

The root starts pulling.

Cursing, Dutch grabs his pistol and fires repeatedly at the offending tendril. After a whole magazine of 15 rounds, the root finally let's go, leaking clear sap.

Dutch picks himself up and runs for the now slowly lowering door. He picks up his rifle along the way and slings it onto his backpack.

The opening underneath the door was only high enough now to crawl through. Dutch launches himself at the opening. He lands with his body halfway through the door. He quickly starts crawling as the door continues it steady progress downwards.

Just as it seemed that Dutch will lose part of himself, he puts a burst of speed and he was through. The door slams with a echoing BOOM, shutting out the noises of battle and death on the other side of the door.

"Everyone okay?" Dutch asked as he picked himself up.

"Yes." Maribel answered.

"It's just us?" Renko asks.

Dutch nods."I'm afraid so."

"All those men..." Renko whispers.

"There's nothing we can do for them. What we can do now is find a way out of here. I don't think this place had thrown all it has at us." Dutch spoke as he looked around him. They were in a corridor that lead on. It was lighted by small crystals just as the same as the ones in the room behind.

"Maribel, see anything?" Dutch asks as he unslings his rifle and aims down the corridor.

"There's are no magical boundaries other then the ones surrounding the crystals. I thinks we are safe for now." Maribel notes as she concentrates down the corridor.

Dutch starts walking down the corridor, his rifle lowered. Maribel follows, concentrating to spot any traps. Renko looked back at the door, turned and followed them.

* * *

><p>"When did you two get your abilities?" Dutch asked. The trio have been walking for a minute or so down the corridor.<p>

The two women gave a surprised expression at the sudden question. Renko searched her memories.

"I was born with it. Mary here was the same as me." Renko answered after a short while."Both of us did not tell any one about it, not even our parents."

"When we met each other, we just hit it off, I guess. When I told Renko about my eyes, I expected her to reject me. I was very surprised when she accepted me and even more surprised when she told me about hers. That was when we formed the sealing club for the both of us." Maribel recounted with a smile.

Dutch chuckled."Well then, I try to get you two out of here so the two of you can go have more club activities."

As they continued down the corridor, a rustle echoed from deep down the corridor. Dutch whipped up his rifle and slowly advanced.

"Maribel, do you see anything coming?"

Maribel concentrates."There no magical boundaries approaching us but there is one about 10 meters away. It's moving deeper down the corridor."

Dutch approached the boundary with his rifle aimed up. When he got to the boundary, he saw roots moving out of the wall and heading down the corridor. They paid him no attention even after he prodded it with his rifle.

"It's safe." He announced."Although this place is starting to make me have an urge to burn everything."

His companions came up to the roots."I second that." Renko said after looking at the roots.

The three follow the roots. It snakes across the walls of the corridor until it opened up into a large room.

In the center of the room was a massive bulb of roots. The roots from the corridor were moving into it, with no noticeable increase in the size of the bulb . The bulb itself was pulsating.

"Ugh. That's gross." Renko says as she looks at it.

"Maribel, anything?" Dutach ask as he scans the walls. Standing in alcoves in the walls were 4 statutes. The statutes were humanoid shaped. They had a stocky body with long arms that ended with three claws and legs and a helmet for a head with wing like protrusions. When Dutch looked into a statute, he realized that the statutes were hollow and that they were at least 2 meters tall.

"Nothing. No boundaries other than the roots."

The trio cross the room, making sure not to touch anything moving. When they reach the other end of the room, they were confronted by another door.

"How many doors are there?" Dutch yells as he look at it. He was tempted to shoot it. Just then, he remembered something. He was carrying a backpack all this time.

I should shoot myself, he thought as he reach around for his backpack. But just as he touched it, the door let out a pulse that knocked them all to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Dutch yelled for the second time in a row.

"Sorry! I touched the door." Renko sheepishly admitted as she got up. As Dutch got up, he heard a rustle behind him.

He whipped around with his rifle up but there was no threat towards him. Instead, the roots were leaving the bulb, snaking along the floor towards the statutes.

As the three watch, the roots snake up the hollow statutes and into the eye holes. After a while, the ends of the roots appear from the bulb. When the ends of the roots enter the eye holes the statutes creaked.

By then, Dutch's danger sense was screaming again. He motioned Renko and Maribel to hide against the door as he too moved backwards to the door.

And his danger sense did not lie.

Suddenly one of the statures screeched. It jumped out of it's alcove and flexed it's claws before charging. Dutch fired, sending bursts of triple shots as fast as he could. The barrage of bullets chipped away at the statue until the roots underneath was exposed. A final burst sent three bullets that penetrated the roots and caused the statute to collapse.

But now every statute was screeching as well. The remaining three jumped out of their own alcoves and advanced towards Dutch.

BALLS! Dutch mentally yelled as he reloaded. As he slotted another magazine with a click, he calculated the factors in his situation. The statute he took down needed 3 bursts to break it's body armor with 1 more burst to finally kill it. He has 30 rounds in his rifle, enough for 10 bursts. And there are 3 of them, meaning in all 12 bursts are needed to kill them all. Unless he goes for a head shot.

Dutch turns to the nearest statue and fires for the head. The statute dodges the first burst but Dutch compensated and fired. This time, the helmet-like head crumbled in under two bursts, exposing the root underneath it to damage that allowed it to die.

Yes! Ditch thought as he turned to the next target, already planning a course of attack for the last two statute. But plans in combat rarely go accordingly. By the time he was facing the next statute, it was right in front of him. A upward swipe knocked the rifle out of his hands.

Dutch moves backwards, taking out his knife and pistol. He dodged another swipe and bought up his pistol, firing repeatedly into the head. The impacts of the bullets on the statute's head causes it to stumble backwards. It screeches as the helmet starts to crack.

Finally after the head armor breaks, he rushes with his knife, avoiding another swipe and stabbing into the vulnerable roots. When the knife entered the roots, the statute gave a screech and collapsed.

3 down, 1 more.

But before even Dutch could turn, 2 meters of wood and stone knocks him onto the ground.

The statute screeches in triumph. It raises its arms and slams down it's claws to finish Dutch off.

Dutch quickly jerks his head aside. The claw slams down onto the ground right beside his head. It leaves deep indents on the stone floor.

Yelling, Dutch stabbed the statute's body repeatedly, trying to find some kind of weak spot. The statute raises its arms in preparation for a swipe that would take Dutch's head off. Dutch continues to stab but the steel just bounces of the stone. Just as the statute arm was about to drop, a lucky strike penetrates a part of the armor that was weakened by the effects of time.

The statute froze in mid swipe and fell on him. The sheer weight of it knocks the breath out of Dutch.

/Warning/

/High weight detected on operator/

/Activting countermeasures/

Increased strength

In Dutch's body, nano bots in his muscles link themselves with his muscles fibers.. They boost his strength until he was able to push off the dead weight.

/Deactivating strength countermeasures/

Dutch sucks in a breath. He gets up and asks Maribel and Renko,"You okay?"

The two nod. Maribel asks him,"A better question is are you okay?"

Dutch collects his weapons on the ground."Don't worry, I had worse." He answers as he checks his weapons for any damage.

Suddenly from behind him, the bulb let's out a screech. Dutch turned around.

The statutes were being pulled in by the bulb. They spilt into different parts and joined with the other parts until Dutch was facing a 3 meter tall super-statute. It charged at him.

"Shit!" Dutch cursed as he dodged the titan of stone rushing at him and the door. Maribel and Renko! He remembered and turn to find them. Lucky, the two had scattered when they saw the charging statute. It smashed it's way through the door like it was paper. "Get away from the door!" Dutch yelled.

The titan came out of the smashed door. Dutch fired at it's head then the gun clicked on empty. The statute swiped at him. Dutch dodged aside but one of the claws caught his backpack. It sent him flying in to one of the alcoves.

This is not my day, he thought as he slid down. Mentally checking his available weapons, he came to the conclusion that they were dead on account that there were no weapons on hand that could really damage the statute. There has to be something! He thought. Then he spied his backpack. The swipe had torn it from his shoulders and opened it.

And what fell out could save them.

As for Maribel and Renko, when Dutch was sent flying by the swipe, they literally saw their death coming for them. The statute stomped until it was right in front of them. It raised its arms for another swipe, ready to kill the two young women.

Then a small object trailing smoke smashed into it's arm and blew it's claws clean off.

The statute screeched. Dutch nonchalantly reloaded his grenade launcher, pulling the spent shell out of the tube and inserting a new one form the backpack at his feet.

He aimed again."You might want to make a move." Dutch told the two woman. They quickly ran, running through the legs of the statute as fast as they could. Dutch fired again.

The grenade this time hit the left knee of the statute. It fell on to the ground. Ditch reloaded again and this time, aimed for the head of the statute.

"This time, stay dead." He spoke before firing. The grenade sailed through the air and impacted onto it's head. The statute stopped moving.

Dutch pulled a deep breath. The swipe just now made him feel hurt all over. Maribel and Renko ran to him.

"I'm okay." He told them before they could say anything. He checked his ammunition. 2 magazines left and 3 grenade shells. Not good.

He slotted the shells into the empty holding bands of his armor."So through the door we go?" He asked the two women. They nodded.

* * *

><p>Back on the surface, the operation to deploy the Fuel-Air bomb on the chamber was nearly complete.<p>

"Demo team, drop in the package." The Mask ordered. This whole expedition was a screw-up from the start, He thought. Now the people he bribed were getting cold feet and asking questions. If this bomb does not work, he will have to cut losses and run before someone finds them and reveal them to the world.

At the hole, a crane lifts an object, about the size of a small cow over the hole. It releases the object and it crashes into the chamber floor below.

"Bomb dropped. 1 minute to explosion." The Demo team answered.

* * *

><p>At the same time...<p>

The trio were through the smashed door. They walked along it until they came upon a crystal, suspended in between 2 poles. It gave a blue glow.

"That's the stone?" Dutch asked. For something that almost killed twice getting to it, it looked surprisingly...simple.

Maribel nods."That's it." She said as she looked at it with her eyes. It was hexagonal shaped and looked like something that could be bought at a jeweler.

"So what do we do now? Take it or blow it?" Dutch asks as he aims his grenade launcher at the crystal.

"Maribel?" Dutch asks again. All he got was a gasp.

"Renko! This place is linked to Gensokyo. We can enter from here!" Maribel practically shouted.

"Can we go there then? And where is that?" Dutch asks but was ignored.

"Are you sure?" Renko answers.

"Anyone even listening to me?" Dutch asks again and again was ignored.

"Yes! Very sure." Maribel shouted, excitement in her eyes. Dutch's patience finally broke.

"HELLO? We are stuck here with people that probably will kill us when they find us and plants that want our blood. WHAT IS THIS GENSOKYO AND CAN WE GET ESCAPE TO WHATEVER IT IS USING THAT?" Dutch shouted.

"Its a land of magic and yes we can." Maribel sheepishly answers.

* * *

><p>Entry chamber<p>

At the same time...

The guardian gave a satisfied shudder. The life aura it drained would keep it happy for the next hundred or so years.

As it drops the body that it has sucked dry, a object dropped down in a crash.

All the roots recoiled from the impact. The last time someone had entered the chamber, he had dropped explosive devices that exploded after a while. The roots had learned after that to treat anything that fell into the chamber without a life aura with caution.

But the object did not explode. Instead, it released a spray of vapor that spread out throughout the chamber.

The roots ignored the spray. This was not the first time someone had used liquids to kill them. Humans and their useless holy water. The roots were creations of the earth and so were not affected.

But this was not holy water, at least not the magical kind.

When the vapor in the chamber reached full saturation, the Fuel-Air bomb blew up.

The Fuel-Air bomb is one of the most powerful conventional weapons know to man. It falls under the category of thermobaric weapons and so are difficult in certain conditions. But when used in the right conditions, it destroys EVERYTHING in it's blast radius. It is so powerful that several organizations around the world call for it's classification as a WMD on account of it's raw destructive force. The most powerful have more power than a small-yield nuclear warhead on it's lowest setting.

Fought in the midst of shockwaves and flames, the organic roots were vaporized. The flames continue, entering the holes where the roots have occupied for centuries, destroying everything inside. The explosion blasts outward through the surface hole, knocking the crane over and sending every person nearby flying. Then a curious effect happened. Having all the air blasted out by the explosion, a vacuum effect happened as air rushes back in. The titanic forces working on the chamber is too much for it to handle and it start to collapse.

The Mask cursed. Now he never get the stone.

* * *

><p>The shockwave shook the corridor.<p>

"What's going on?" Renko shouted as she tried to maintain her balance.

"The Mask must have blew up a bomb." Dutch answers as he too tries to balance himself.

As the trio try to stand properly, Dutch falls forward and touches the crystal.

The crystal gives off a bright light and Dutch is now suspended in mid air by an energy beam.

"Dutch!" Renko and Maribel yell. Renko moves to grab Dutch and is caught too by the energy beam.

The crystal start giving off a pulsing light and then it suddenly opened a blue portal that sucked the trio in.

The portal closed and the whole underground structure starts collapsing.


	5. Land of magic

Here the next installment.

According to the internet, i actually got people liking my stuff. So thanks to all those that have read it. And special thanks to Ban3 for reviewing. And to everyone else as well.

* * *

><p>Bright.<p>

That's was all Dutch could see when he woke up. Then he blinked and it cleared up. It was the sun, shining through some kind of transparent barrier.

He was lying on grass. On the edge of his vision, he could see a house. It was a two-story modern looking small affair with a chimney. Behind the house was fog and large eyes could be seen through gaps in the fog.

As he tried to comprehend the sight, the event of the last time he was awake play. He sat up, looking for his companions. They were lying on the grass as well. Maribel was lying on the grass, face-up. Her eyes were open.

Dutch got up and rushed to her."Maribel! Are you okay?" He shouted.

"We are in gensokyo. Physically." Maribel whispered with wonder in her eyes as she looked up at the barrier.

Dutch shook his head and turned to Renko. She was lying on the ground facedown. When Dutch moved her over, she opened her eyes. Seeing a man with his face against the sun standing above her, Renko lunged upwards.

Surprised, Dutch was pushed face first onto the ground. Renko grabbed his arm, twisted it and pulled. As Dutch screamed in pain, Renko eyes widened and let go.

"Dutch? Oh my god! I am so sorry!" Renko cried out as she backed away from him."I thought you were the Mask."

Dutch groaned."I don't think I look like an asshole. Although that might be a matter of perception." He said as he moved his arm."Feels okay. If you had pulled any further, I think I would have ended like the guy I volunteered for. You did use the same move on him, right?"

"It's the same move. I learned it after a accident with a person on a train." Renko answers as she shudders at the memory.

"Ouch. That kind of guy should be thrown into a pit of ants to be eaten alive."

As Renko helped Dutch up, she turns to look around her."So this is Gensokyo?"

"Not exactly."

Dutch and Renko spurned around. Standing behind them was a blond woman. She had a two-tailed hat with amulets plastered all over it. She wore a blue and white dress and had 9 tails.

Dutch blinked at the sight. Renko asked,"You are a kitsune, right?"

The woman nodded."Yes I am. My name is Ran Yakumo. Right now you are on the border between Gensokyo and the outside world. Neither here or there."

...

_/Warning. Intrusion Detected/_

...

Dutch glanced at the message. But there was nothing he could do. The nano-bots in his body were the only one of their kind in the world so in theory that was nothing that could attack it since no one knew about it. Which means that the nano-bots have no defenses whatsoever against a direct attack on them.

"Neither here or there? That's mean we are in nowhere right?" He asked.

Ran answered,"You could put it in that sense." She then gestured toward the house."It's is the mark of a terrible host to leave guests on the front lawn. Shall we move to more comfortable settings?"

The duo nodded."Can you help us wake our friend here first?"Dutch asked."She seems to has lost herself in wonder."

Ran walked up to Maribel and bent over. When she got up, Maribel was shaking her head.

"You okay?" Dutch asked. Maribel nodded.

"Sorry, I was overwhelmed by the magical boundaries of this place." She apologized.

The four left the lawn and went into the house. Inside, the house was roomy, with large spaces that appeared to be bigger than the house itself. And on the other end of the house, there was a large Japanese style front porch. A grove could be seen and beyond it was a land. The land was a healthy green, unlike the world they human knew. Patches of color show where there were villages and plots dotted the land. There was a river running through the land and the river originated from a mountain that reached past the clouds. Further more could be seen is the background, including a mountain range.

"That is Gensokyo." Ran announced.

The trio breathe in the sight. Maribel and Renko with excited eyes, Dutch with surprise.

"So this is the land of magic." Dutch whispered."They will never believe this back home."

After having their fill of the sight, the trio followed Ran to a room. Inside were a couple of chairs facing the a fireplace. One of the chairs was occupied by a blond woman.

"Good afternoon." The woman said." name is Yukari Yakumo. You are all guests in my house."

The trio bowed in return. Yukari chuckled,"Please, Let's not be so formal. Sit." She gestured towards the other chairs.

As the three moved to sit down, Dutch felt himself tense up. The woman was giving of the vibe of a dictator.

The kind of vibe that says I have the capability to do what ever I want and I know it and there is nothing you can do about it.

He will have to watch himself around her.

Yukari spoke,"Does any of you need a drink? We have a very wide selection."

Maribel and Dutch ordered water while Renko declined. Ran disappeared into a door and returned with a tray with 3 cups. She placed the cups onto to holders on the chairs. After placing the three cups onto Yukari chair, she retreated.

As Dutch sipped the natural mineral tasting water, Yukari spoke.

"Let's get down to business, shall we? Which one of you has the vault?"

The trio blinked."The what?" Dutch asked.

Yukari sighed and snapped her fingers. Just then, Dutch's right hand gave off a bright light. When Dutch looked at it, he saw that the source was the same crystal from the cave except it was now on his glove. When he tried to take it off, he found that it was stuck tight to the glove as if it was a part of it.

Yukari watched."You won't get it off." She spoke with a serious face."Once the vault has a new owner, it fuses itself to it's owner soul. Whatever you do, it will find it's way back to you."

As Dutch processes the implications, a series of messages flashes onto his view.

...

_/Intrusion detected/_

_..._

_/Analyzing/_

_..._

_/Type:Unknown/_

_/Source:Unknown/_

_/Danger level:Unknown/_

...

Yukari continued,"It fuses itself to your soul and adapts itself to the form that it find most reflects it's owner. Don't be surprised if you get something that has the shape of a book or something even stranger. Once, an owner had the vault shaped as a pen."

As the three humans watched, the crystal gave a bright light that forced all of them to close their eyes. As Dutch closed his, he felt his right hand glove moving as if it was changing. Finally the light faded.

When Dutch opened his eyes, the glove was still there but now the vault was a shard-like crystal fused to the cloth of the glove. The fibers of the glove were actually inside the crystal and Dutch could feel suppressed power coming from his glove.

Yukari looked."A practical design. You must be a very practical person."

Another series of message popped onto Dutch's view.

...

_/Unknown detected/_

_..._

_/Analyzing/_

_..._

_/Unknown/_

_..._

_/Attempting to classify/_

_..._

Yukari continued some more,"It is a curious little object, isn't it? With it's transformation, you are now the full owner of the vault."

"What does it do?" Renko asked.

"Exactly what it says." Yukari described." It is a storage device. Except it can store anything and everything it encounters without limitations. It can also recreate what it has stored inside and can also combine anything stored inside. With it, you can do whatever you want."

As the three human breathe in the knowledge, Dutch asked,"So what happens to us now?"

Yukari smiled,"You stay as my guests for now. All of you are very special humans and I will like to know you all. Ran~" She called.

Ran appeared from behind the door."Yes Yukari-Sama?"

"Show our guests to their rooms."

Ran bowed. The three humans left their chairs and followed Ran to another end of the house.

"This is your rooms. If you require any assistance, just call for me and I attend to you as soon as possible." Ran said before leaving.

The rooms were roomily, just like the house. They each had a personal bathroom and a large queen-sized bed. There was a television in each room and a study table.

Dutch chose one of the rooms and entered. He looked at his clothing. It was covered in dirt, plant sap and other liquids that he did not want to identify. He decided that he take a bath.

Unslinging his rifle and taking off the body armor, Dutch walked into the bathroom. He saw a clothing rack already stocked with clothing and a laundry basket. In another door was the actual bathroom, with a bathtub and shower.

After washing in the shower, Dutch dropped his dirty clothing onto the laundry basket and chose a simple black shirt and pants.

After leaving the bathroom, he proceeded to disassemble his rifle onto the study table followed by his pistol and grenade launcher. Picking up a roll of toilet paper, he began to clean his weapons.

Just as he finished, a wave of fatigue hit him. Barely able to keep his eyes open, he stumbled to the bed and managed to make it just as his eyes closed.

* * *

><p>Back at the fireplace, Yukari was sipping from a cup of tea.<p>

Ran walked in from the door."Yukari-sama, I must ask why have we decided to let's these humans stay. What is it about them that is more special that any other human that crossed over the border?"

Yukari took a sip and put down the cup."The human male. He controls an object that grants him immense power. It will be best for us if we keep him here so we can monitor him. And the other two females. One has the ability to pinpoint where and when she is and the other...the other is very likely the human counterpart of me. Its best for us to keep them all here."

And she smiled."And did you not see the male's reaction when he first saw me? He tensed up as if he knew what I could do. He intrigues me."

Ran bowed."Understood Yukari-Sama."

* * *

><p>Dutch looked around. He should be sleeping and yet right now he was in some kind of tent. When he looked around, he saw that it was a Mongolian tent, a large one. And floating in front of him was a small bright ball.<p>

"Oh! You're up." The ball chirped in a feminine voice that sounded robotic.

"What the heck are you?" Dutch said.

The ball chirped again."I am the Vault Assistance and Learning Entity. I can specially created to help you adapt to the vault. Right now, you are in the last owner's vault setting." It introduced.

"So what do I do now?" Dutch asked.

"Right now, we must go to the the map room to change the vault to your setting. Follow me." The ball said as it flew out of the tent. Dutch followed.

Outside, he saw that the tent was in the courtyard of a massive Chinese palace. The ball was waiting at the stairs of a large building.

As Dutch walked up the stairs, he admired the design of the building. It had all the classic chinese designs down to the dragons intertwined with the pillars.

Inside the building, Dutch saw a massive throne in front of a large crystal.

"Please touch the crystal." The ball instructed.

When Dutch touched the crystal, he was lifted up by an energy stream. Around him, the ground started breaking up. Cracks starting running along the ground and walls. The crystal became a ball of energy that started sucking in everything.

The whole structure started to crack into different parts and fly into the ball of energy. The roof broke up and flew in, the floor doing the same in a mirror image. Everything was flowing into the ball, even the sky until all that was left was the ball of energy, Dutch and the Vault Assistance and Learning Entity. Everything else was pure blackness.

Then the ball flashed. Tendrils of energy spread out from it, leaving solid matter in it's wake. The tendrils kept moving until Dutch was floating in above a ring shaped walkway. The energy beam holding him disappeared and he dropped.

And the tendrils still continued. Spreading out along a path, the tendrils finally completed the room and then promptly faded.

Dutch looked around. Standing on the glass walkway, he saw that the walkway hovered in midair and it also branched out into three doors in the walls, which was made of metal. He was standing in front of the ball of energy. The ball of energy itself hovered in mid air at the center of the room and there was a computer in front of the ball.

"That's is the interface for the vault's map room. It also allows you to do a number of processes on anything stored in this vault, such as recreation or combination of anything inside. Right now, the vault is under a new setting so you have nothing stored inside. To access past settings, use the interface. Any item taken from past settings can be used in the vault but to bring it to the physical world will require time, depending of a variety of factors such as the materials used in the object." The ball instructed.

"Right now, we have to test the vault's ability to classify new items. Your weapons are a good test." The ball continued.

A screen appeared in front of the ball of energy in the center of the room. It showed the room where Dutch was sleeping in. As Dutch watched, tendrils of energy flowed out of the crystal in his glove and reached out for the study table and the dismantled rifle and pistol. The tendrils enveloped the weapon components and then gave out a bright glow.

When the glow faded, the weapon parts were gone. The tendrils returned to the glove.

Back in the vault, the components appeared on the screen.

"Now that your weapons are stored in the vault, you can do anything to it. Also, since your weapon ammunition is stored in the vault, you can now recreate the ammunition, meaning you have a supply of infinite ammunition. You can phase in or out your weapons and ammunition since it was originally part of the physical world in this setting. This will be the same for anything you store." The vault entity finished.

"So anything I store can instantly be brought into the physical world?" Dutch

summarized.

"Yes that's right." The entity answered.

"Why not the past settings?" Dutch asked.

"To bring anything from the past settings requires the vault to bring the item from the past owner's reality into the physical world, which is in your reality. It will take time for the vault to recreate since the item is not part of your reality. Because any items you store is in the physical world in your reality, it can instantly be brought to the physical world since it is originally was part in this world and in turn, this reality. Understand?" The entity finished.

"Yea,I get it." Dutch answered, his mind reeling from the knowledge.

Just then, the screen of the computer started flashing. The entity flew to the energy ball.

"AHHHHHH! Parts of your body is rejecting the vault fusion." The entity said, sounding flustered.

Dutch walked up to the computer. He instinctly typed a few keys in the screen and a window popped up.

"It's the nano-bots in my blood. Let me fix this."

...

_/'Unknown' detected/_

_..._

_/Attempting to repel 'Unknown'/_

_..._

_Dutch typed on the screen._

_..._

_/Operator authorization accepted/_

_..._

Dutch smiled before typing some more on the screen.

_..._

_/Instruction received/_

_..._

_/Standing down.../_

_..._

The computer stopped flashing.

Dutch looked at the screen and asked the entity,"So what now?"

The entity spoke,"Now? Now you wake up. All the initial processes have been completed. And there is someone waking you."

Dutch vision blurred.

"Dutch? Wake up." A voice prodded his mind.

Dutch opened his eyes. Maribel was standing over him. She had swapped her dirty dress for another dress, this time blue.

"You won't believe what I just went through." He said as he got up.

"I can see that. Your boundaries have changed." Maribel answered.

"Really?" Dutch asked. Maribel nodded.

He followed Maribel to the middle of the house. Where there was once chairs was a dinner table. Yukari sat at a end of the table. She motioned to the side of the table where Renko was already seated.

* * *

><p>Eientei<p>

The patients for the day were gone but Eirin was still seated at her lab table, staring at a piece of paper.

"Master, dinner is ready." Reisen said as she walked in.

Eirin gave a tired smile."Udonge, can you bring up my food? I have something to do."

"Is something wrong Master?" Reisen asked.

Eirin looked thoughtfully at Reisen."Udonge, can you contact your counterpart on the moon?"

Reisen looked surprised at the sudden question."You mean the other Reisen?" Eirin nodded."I think I could. Why master?"

Eirin picked up the piece of paper she was reading."I need you to send a message to your counterpart. She has to pass this message to the Watatsuki sisters. It's highly important that only them and ONLY them get this message. Am I clear?"

Reisen nodded."Yes Master." She acknowledged.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

Night

After dinner

The dinner was a quiet affair. The food was served by Ran and they all dug in.

Now they had moved to the front porch where they all sat down. Then Renko and Maribel retired early. Now only Dutch and Yukari were sitting on the front porch, looking out at the land.

"How did this get created?" Dutch asked as he looked at the natural night lights.

"A couple of centuries ago, magic started to experience a decline in the outside. This came due to a increase in people not believing in magic. To save what was left, I moved every remaining youkai into here then erected a magical border. This place exist as the last bastion of magic." Yukari spoke.

Dutch looked out at the bastion."It does not like a bastion. More like a Eden."

Yukari smiled."I think paradise is a better word."

Silence reigned as they look at the paradise again.

"Which brings me to request a task. As payment for letting you stay in my house." Yukari said, seriousness on her face.

Dutch turned to her." I'm all ears."

Yukari started."This land is governed by a set of rules. It's called the spell card rules. I will not go into specifics. You can find it using the vault. What I'm asking regards to something more important. Basic combat is done by dammaku. It involves the use of projectiles, the most common being energy bolts, to fight. Spell cards also use dammaku. To summarize the spell card rules, patterns of dammaku are sealed into pieces of paper. Each person have their own pattern and so, their own spell cards. And the dammaku is used is usually non-lethal."

"The weapons you bought in. Their very principles means that they will upset the balance that the spell card system has bought. I need you to use the vault to modify the rules to include guns from the outside world. Can you do it?" Yukari asked.

"Why can't you do it? According to what the vault tells me, you are the youkai of boundaries. You can change it if you wanted." Dutch said.

Yukari sighed."One of the core tenets of the spell card rules it that it is absolute. Usually I can ignore that rule but I am a user of the rules which means I am part of the system and cannot touch it. But you. You are an outsider and not a user of the rules. You can change the rules without being affected."

Dutch thought about it for a minute and smiled."I do it."

Yukari smiled."Thank you." She said with the words all over her face.

* * *

><p>Later<p>

Dutch lay down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He reminisced the events of the past days. Just replaying the events on his mind, he whispered to himself,"All that has happened to you...and here we go again."

He closed his eyes and he was in the vault map room again. The entity floated up to him.

"So what do we do Master?" The entity asked. Somehow, this time, it sounded more human.

"First things first, we are getting you a name." Dutch said.

The entity floated in a confused manner."A name?" It asked.

"Yes a name. I can't call you Vault Assistance and Learning Entity. It is just too long. I decided to call you Vale. An acronym of your name." Dutch finished.

The ball floated, silent.

"Hello?" Dutch asked.

"Thank you." The now named Vale said with gratitude."This is the first time any owner gave me a name."

Dutch chuckled."That's the second thanks I received in an hour. Now that that's out of the way, we got a job to do. I need you to help me with a modification of a Land-wide Ruling system that governs combat in this land.

Vale chirped excitedly."Yes Master! You just have to use the interface and access the realm scanner system then wait for the realm scanner to find the system and and then access the system and..."

"Stop." Dutch laughed."We are not on a timetable right now. While we modify the system, tell me about your past owners. I really want to know why they did not give you a name.

And Human and Entity worked through the night, trading and laughing at stories each had.

* * *

><p>And that ends the first night in Gensokyo.<p>

So how was it so far?

i kinda need people to review. Just press the button, use about about 3(or maybe even lesser!) minutes of your time to help me improve.

I learn how to better write and you get to practice your command of the written word. Everyone wins. :)


	6. Nightmares and festivals

Here we go. chapter 6.

To speak the truth, i got the feeling when i did this chapter that i was doing something wrong.

What do you think?

* * *

><p><em>Screams.<em>

_Screeches._

_ "Head for the door!" A body hangs, uplifted by a root. Dead eyes staring._

_ Dutch and Maribel. Hung by roots. Staring accusingly._

She screamed.

"Renko, wake up!" Dutch yelled as he shook her. Renko cried out and struggled in her sleep.

Maribel stood in the back, watching with fearful eyes.

Renko suddenly launched out of her bed. For the second time in two days, Dutch is knocked by her onto the ground.

She gripped his neck, squeezing and staring with wild eyes. Dutch gagged as he tried to push Renko off.

Renko stopped. She stared at Dutch as if for the first time. Horrified, she got off him, looking at her hands.

Dutch coughed. He got up onto Renko's bed and breathed in deep.

"I...I..."Renko whispered.

Dutch looked up and gave Renko a painful smile."I'm still here."He said through a hurt throat.

"I'm so sorry." Renko said in a horrified whisper.

"Don't sweat it." Dutch answered.

Maribel entered the room, worry written all over her face.

She guided Renko onto the bed and now all three sat down on it.

"What happened?" Maribel asked.

"I dreamt I was back at the chamber. With the roots and the statues. And the dead men. And I saw you both. Dead." Renko recounted before she started crying.

Maribel hugged Renko."It's over. We are safe." She comforted.

Dutch got up."I go get something to calm her down."

He told Maribel before moving to leaving the room.

"Wait. Please stay." Renko asked.

Dutch looked at Maribel.

She nodded and he turned back and sat on the bed.

They sat there until morning.

* * *

><p>Yukari yawned.<p>

She looked from her bed groggily at the clock. Only a night had passed.

She yawned again and flopped back onto her bed.

But as hard as she tried, she could not go back to sleep. Grumbling at nothing particular, she got up, used a gap to instantly swap her clothing and then gapped herself to the dining room. Reimu may disapprove and say she was letting magic take over her simple body functions but she's a human, not a youkai. What does she know?

Ran was serving breakfast to the three guests."Oh Yukari-sama, you're awake. Would you like any thing in particular?" She asked.

"Anything would be fine." Yukari said as she poured herself a cup of tea and yawned yet again.

The breakfast continued quietly.

Later.

Yukari and Dutch were back at where they sat the night before. Renko had returned to her room, citing that she was not feeling well. Marble followed her.

"What happened?" Yukari asked as they both took sips of tea.

Dutch simply looked out."Please specify." He answered as he looked at the many forests that dot the land.

"During the breakfast, Renko acted as if she was trying to avoid you." Yukari noted.

"PTSD. The defenses for the vault are very good at leaving a mental scar." Dutch said." She almost killed me when I tried to wake her up."

Yukari leaned back, using one of her gaps for support."How goes the modification?" She asked.

Dutch glanced at the vault."Not as easy as expected. Converting the explosion of chemical propellant, which basically is a physical process, into a magical one is not easy. If I went all the way with it, every single flame in this place would have turned into danmaku. At best right now, I can convert the bullet into dammaku form. It will still be lethal but I managed to slow it down so it's classified as fast danmaku and the entire bullet is a bolt of energy of equivalent charge instead of a solid form. That's the best I can do right now. It's will still need a lot of fine-tuning through. Any one with magical capabilities can change the lethality of the danmaku. What I did is just area-wide modification."

Yukari smiled."That's is enough to ensure the balance will not broken. Thank you."

Dutch phased in his rifle."Lethal or non-lethal danmaku. How can you tell the difference?" He asked as he looked at his weapon.

"By the looks of the danmaku. The most common kind, bolts of energy, tend to be brighter when they are in lethal form. However, danmaku using physical weapons such as knifes are lethal in all forms. It is possible to die from them, however the magic in this land will try it's best to keep you alive. There is one exception through. Seals used by shine maidens can either be lethal or non-lethal. You have to look at the seal to be certain." Yukari explained.

Dutch pulls his rifle charging handle and aims through the holographic crosshairs at one of the bamboo shoots. He pulls the trigger. The rifle barks but instead of invisible bullets, a trio of bright energy bolts fly out at significantly slower speed and impacts the bamboo shoots. The wood splinters under the triple impact and the shoots falls.

"Good enough. I probably need to modify the lethality of the weapon before anything else." Dutch said. He phased out his rifle and stood up to leave.

"Are you all free tonight?" Yukari asked him as she looked up.

"Why?"

"The human village is having a festival. It would be nice to see how your fellow humans have adapted to this place, don't you think?" Yukari asked.

Dutch looked at the paradise."It would be nice." He said before turning.

"One more thing."

Dutch stopped.

"Assuming from your weapons and you in particular, you have fought the defenses of the vault. How is that you don't have a mental scar?"

Dutch stared into nothing

"What made you think I don't?" He answered before leaving.

* * *

><p>Lunar capital<p>

Watatsuki no Toyohime was a fine young woman. She was a lunar princess and a leader of the Lunar Defense Corps. She was also a lunar emissary but that title was a bit ambiguous since there was nothing to be emissary to. In short, she was a great catch for any lunarian. And there were many who tried.

So it would probably be to her suitors shock if they were to see her right now. Burning through peaches like a vacuum machine. But you could hardly blame her. It's just her way of relieving stress. It's not like she could get fat.

Reisen kneeled down beside her, sweat dropping. The princess was a serious lover of peaches, having a reputation among the lunar elites for grabbing any one she saw if she was hungry(even from the royal garden!). Whenever she visited any lunar household, advance warning had to be given so that the household could stock up on peaches.

And if anyone disapproved, well she is a princess. She can damn well do whatever she wants.

Outside, Yorihime was running her personal troop of rabbits through her personalized 'training from hell'. As a veteran rabbit put it,"I would rather go fix a faulty purifier than go through her training. At least the purifier is quick."

Reisen shuddered as she remember the private one Yorihime gave to her and her namesake on the earth. She could totally agree with that sentiment.

Just then, Reisen felt a buzz. She froze, heeding the familiar call of of another lunar rabbit.

_"Reisen, can you hear me?"_ The rabbit asked through her ears.

Ah, it's her namesake, she realized.

_"I can hear you loud and clear, Undongein-san."_ She answered.

_"I need you to pass a message to the princesses."_ Undonge asked.

_"Go ahead."_

"_You are to tell them that the shield is breached, the vault has a new owner and they are to bring a bottle of thousand-year sake the next time they come to earth."_ Undonge finished.

Reisen blinked in confusion at the last part of the message._"Okay._" She sent back. Undonge dropped off.

Reisen returned back to the present. Toyohime, watching the whole exchange, asked,"Who was it?"

"A message from Yagokoro-san, princess." Reisen answered. She proceed to reiterate the whole message to Toyohime. Toyohime remained silent throughout the whole time. When Reisen finished, Toyohime just sat there with a unreadable face.

"Princess?" Reisen asked.

Toyohime snapped into action."More peaches!" She spoke with a serious face.

Reisen sighed and bought up another plate. As she watch Toyohime devour the fruits, she could not help but see a slight tinge of panic in the actions of the princess.

* * *

><p>Night<p>

Human village

The humans in Gensokyo, like any other humans, have adapted to their surrounding with ease. They learned several lessons by heart, some of them the hard way.

The first was that you don't go out during the dark unless you were suicidal.

The second was that wild youkai should NEVER be approached, no matter how Cute or harmless they looked. Especially the blondes.

The third was that the shine maidens are not to be messed with. Unless you want devastation to visit you.

The fourth was that if you send your child to school, expect him or her to receive a head butt sooner or later.

Like all humans, the Gensokyians followed the rules to the letter. Sure there were some idiots that did not follow the rules but natural selection ensured that they did not last very long.

And along the things adapted by humans from their surrounding was the oni love for party. While not as frequent or rowdy as the actual ones(or even the tengu ones, for that matter), it was still pretty crazy by outside standards.

Usually held once a month, the festivals bring the residents of the village together to have fun. It was both a curse and a godsend. Any feuds between families would usually be solved during the festivals with the help of alcohol but more feuds would pop up during the festivals as well, also with the help of alcohol. And for those who wanted to stay sober, there were the standard assortments of stalls to keep you busy.

Often, men and the occasional women would be found the next day on the road, drunk or hungover. Sometimes, the last drinkers would form a line. The line would snake through the village, picking up steam as people, drunk, sober or in-between joined in. They would then clean up the mess of the party until the village was ready for the activities of the day. Then the leaders, drunk and exhausted, would flop down on to anything they could find and sleep it off.

One hilarious legend involved one such man. He fell asleep into a cart and the farmer left the village. When the man woke up, he panicked,thinking he was caught by a youkai that was going to eat him. The farmer thought the man was a youkai that was going to attack him and humor ensued.

But now was only the start of the party. Men and women sat together, laughing at stories. A rare oni could be seen, challenging any one willing to bet their liver.

As Dutch watched the events unfold, Ran walked up from behind him."Why don't you try it." She asked with a smile.

Dutch shook his head."I usually dont take alcohol if I can." He explained.

"Ran-sama!"

The voice belonged to a nekomata. She ran and jumped onto Ran. Ran laughed as she gave Chen a hug.

"Dutch-san, I would like you to meet Chen, my shikigami." Ran introduced.

Dutch returned Chen's bright smile with one of his own."Please, just Dutch." He said.

"Ran-sama, can we go see the fireflies? Wiggle is doing a night light dance." Chen asked.

Ran looked at Dutch. He smiled and motioned for her to go."I'l be fine."

As the two youkai left, Dutch walked, looking at the revelry going on. As he just walked, he passed by two blonde girls discussing about fireworks. One was wearing a witch uniform down to the broom. The other wore a simple dress and had a doll floating beside her.

"Should I go for more fuel or bigger bang?" The black white witch asked her companion.

The other girl sighed."It's a fireworks display Marisa, not a magical barrage."

Marisa grinned."More bang it is. Besides, what could go wrong, daze."

Dutch shook his head and continued walking.

As he walked down the line of stalls, a stall owner beckoned towards him.

Dutch moved to the stall. The owner was an old lady with a friendly wrinkled face.

"Boy, you just arrived here from the outside, didn't you?" She asked.

Dutch nodded."How did you know?" He asked.

The old lady laughed."Your clothing. Only outsiders would wear that kind." She said.

Dutch looked down on his clothing. He was wearing the cleaned uniform without the body armor.

"Since you're new here, have one on the house. Welcome to Gensokyo." She said as she offered him a skewer of meat with a smile.

Dutch accepted the skewer."Thank you ma'am." He answered.

Chewing on the meat, Dutch carried on.

He walked along and met Maribel and Renko. They were trying out one of the stalls, smiling happily.

"Having fun?" Dutch asked.

"Yup!" Renko answered as she tried to hit a target with her natural skill but failing at it.

He continued along his way, eager to see if there was anything that the festival had to offer.

After making a loop, he was back at the center of the village. The girl with the blue dress was there, behind the stage. She walked onto the stage and bowed.

"Introducing Alice Magatroid and her doll dance." The emcee announced.

The girl bowed before she started. Dolls appeared from behind her and flew around in a intricate series of movements. The crowd wowed at the movements of the puppets.

As Dutch watched, the nanobots in his eye changed their formation until he could see small threads of magic connecting Alice's fingers to the dolls.

He blinked, wondering why he could suddenly see magic.

_Master?_ A mental voice asked him.

Surprised at the sudden mental voice, Dutch thought back.

_Vale? Is that you?_ He returned.

Y_es Master, it's me. What you are seeing is a ability of the vault. It grants you the ability to perceive magic. It seems that the nanobots in your body have interfaced with the vault and combined itself with it. You can now change the nanobot setting on your eyes to spot magic if you want_. Vale explained.

_Thanks._ Dutch answered.

He watched the display. When it ended, Dutch looked up and saw the magical border for the first time.

It was a transparent blue that gave the kind of illusion that it was solid and nonexistent at the same time.

As Dutch admired the view, a movement catches his attention.

It belong to a man who was leaning against the wall. He watched the crowd like a eagle, scanning their faces with piercing eyes. His face had a scar running down it.

Dutch stared back when the man's eyes landed on him. The man looked away quickly.

Dutch continued to watch the man for a minute.

Highlight target. He thought.

...

_/Target highlighted (line of sight)/_

...

The man now had a red arrow over his head.

He turned to walk away.

Dutch watched the arrow disappear as it's target walked behind a wall.

* * *

><p>Later...<p>

The fireworks were in full swing. They arced over the sky, sending out bright bursts of sound and sparks.

Dutch was enjoying every minute of it. The line of stalls gave a good position to watch it happen. As he watch a pink dragon made of sparks fly overhead, the red arrow suddenly appeared.

He turned away from the spectacle and checked to confirm. It definitely was the same guy from before.

He was walking along the stalls. Scanning again with his eyes.

He stopped at one stall and left a piece of paper then turned around and left.

The stall owner, the same old lady from before, looked at the paper. She took out a closed sign and left.

Dutch followed the old lady. The whole event gave him the feel of something bad about to happen.

She walked along the path before turning into a alley.

Dutch pressed his back against the wall and crept up to the alley.

In the alley, the old lady and the man were talking in hushed tones.

The old lady said something to the man and he answered back in a harsh tone.

As Dutch watched, he felt a presence next to him. He turned around and there was three men looking at him. One of the men had a knife just inches away from Dutch's throat.

The man holding the knife motioned with it and the four entered the ally.

"Boss, we got a listener." One of the men said.

The scarred man stopped the conversation.

He looked up."A outsider? Typical. Your kind were always were a bunch of pests." He growled.

He threw a punch that hit Dutch in the stomach. Ditch doubled up from the pain and laid on the ground.

_..._

_/Warning. Blunt force trauma/_

_..._

A outline of Dutch's body appeared in his view. The stomach area was highlighted in red.

_I think I felt it first._ He though.

"So what now boss?" One of the men asked.

"Finish him and dump him in the forest for the youkai." The scarred man answered.

Dutch suddenly kicked out his legs. The man standing behind was knocked back onto the ground in surprise. At the same time, Dutch launched himself up and backed away as fast as he could.

And then he hit the wall.

He cursed. No running out of this one.

The man on the ground got up. Now Dutch was facing four, slowing inching towards him. The four took out knifes.

As Dutch watched the weapons facing him, he thought about how to end this fight quickly.

His nanobot enhanced brain quickly formulated an a attack plan, taking in everything and turning out a sequence.

Dutch saw as a mental self charged the four men. The first would probably try to stab him since the alley was too narrow to swing properly. Dutch would dodge out of the knife and at the same time send a chop for the man throat.

It would crush his windpipe. As the man choked, Dutch would grab the knife out of his hands.

Then on to the next man. He would go for the man's throat, cut the arteries that supply blood to the brain. Then on to the next.

A spin around him and a stab to the neck where the spine meets the skull.

The last would be simple, a throw to the neck. He will be dead before the first man even died from suffocation.

As Dutch prepared to execute the moves, his muscles already priming to move, he snapped out of the mental movie.

_What the hell am I doing._ He thought to himself.

Already moving, Dutch quickly modified his plan.

At the first man, Dutch dodged the expected stab and instead went for a quick strike on his forehead. The man eyes rolled up and he dropped.

Grabbing the knife from the man hands, Dutch went for the next one.

The man takes a swing at Dutch. Easily dodging the flying blade, Dutch used the hilt of his own to smash into his head and continued to the next.

Nothing special, just a quick kick to his third leg.

The last man, having watched his companions get decimated by the one outsider, lost his nerve and ran away.

Now Dutch was facing the scarred man. The old lady was crouching at the side, covering her head. Dutch walked past her and raised his knife.

"I'm leaving with her." He stated.

The man simply took out his own knife."Perhaps I underestimated you. But no." He returned.

"I highly doubt that you will last against me one on one."

The man laughed."Yes. I agree. But I outnumber you two to one."

Then a fist smashed into Dutch's head and he blacked out.

* * *

><p>Well congrats for reaching the end.<p>

What do you think?


	7. Spell card lottery and slowmo

_"Wake up!"_

Dutch opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling.

The voice, coming from nowhere, echoed again.

_"Come on! We got to help them!"_

Dutch sat up. Looking around, he saw that he was in a corridor with a closed door with light peeking through at one end and darkness at the other.

_"Come on!"_

He got up and walked towards the door.

As he got closer, other voices start to echo around.

_"It was worth it, wasn't it?"_

_"I think I stay."_

_"What ever it takes, we're here."_

With the voices around him, Duch finally reached the door. He reached out to touch it.

The door cracked. It started to break up, light shining to it's rapidly opening cracks. As Dutch covered his eyes, one last voice echoed over all the rest.

_"No turning back now."_

_MASTER!_ Vale yelled.

Dutch opened his eyes. He was on the ground, face first.

_Master! You must get up!_ vale continued.

_Stop yelling. I'm fine._ Dutch returned.

Dutch checked around with his eyes. The feet of two people were down the alley.

Ah, the man and the old lady. He registered.

"Useless. All useless." The old lady said in a un old-ladyish voice. A more deeper voice.

"How was I supposed to know that the outsider could fight?" The scarred man complained.

The old lady growled in return."Why did I spare your life. You have not proven your worth to me."

She suddenly stabbed the scarred man. He choked and collapsed against the wall. Coldly, she ripped the knife out of him.

"Live your last moments knowing that you failed me." She said before leaving.

Dutch tried to get up. The back of his head was throbbing. Dutch felt the area. Good, no bleeding.

Standing up, he slowly walked to the scarred man.

"You...saw...that? The man whispered.

"Hold on, we need stop the bleeding." Dutch returned as he ripped off a part of his sleeves. Using the cloth, he applied pressure to the wound.

"It's...too late. I...can...see the...sanzu...river. Save...the old lady. She...cough...is...possessed." The man said before closing his eyes.

Dutch checked his pulse. Faint and fading.

An old memory surfaces.

_"He's gone."_

"Not this time." He said.

Gritting his teeth, he lifted the man fireman style and ran out of the alley.

"I need a doctor! This man is dying!" He yelled. The people around him looked at him.

"I am a doctor." A girl with bunny ears yelled back as she ran to him.. Dutch glanced at her ears and ignored them. There were more important things.

"This man was stabbed. He's dying." Dutch informed her as he laid the man down on the ground. The girl looked at the stab wound and swore. She formed a gun with her hand and fired a shot into the air.

"I need you to place a hemostatic dressing on him or he won't make it." the girl instructed.

She took out a dressing and gave it to Dutch. Dutch took the dressing and pressed it down on the man chest.

"Undonge! What the matter?" A tall woman ran through the crowd rapidly forming around them.

"Master! This man is dying!" The girl shouted back.

The woman looked at the man."We need to get him to Eientei now." She said.

As the two lift him, Reisen looks around for Dutch. He wasn't around.

She wonder where could he have gone then discarded the thought. She needed to save the man first.

Dutch watched the two carry the scarred man away. After they disappeared, he turned around and walked away. He had an appointment to catch.

* * *

><p>Kasen Ibara opened her eyes.<p>

She stood up from the spot where she had been meditating in the Hakurei Shrine.

She looked at the human village.

There was a vengeful spirit in there.

Time to use her ability.

* * *

><p>The old lady walked along the street. She turned at a corner and kept walking until she was in a secluded spot at the edge of the town. Dutch followed behind her all the way, blending in with the crowd.<p>

"Boy, how your stay in Gensokyo? She asked Dutch.

"Pretty good. How about you leave the body and we discuss it face to face." Dutch answered with a smile.

The old lady responded with a flick of her hands, sending a bolt of bright danmaku towards him. Dutch rolled out of the lethal shot.

Crap. Dutch thought. I can't shoot her without killing her and she's using Lethal danmaku.

The old lady laughed in her deep voice."Boy, you are out of your league. I have all the experience of this land at my finger tips. Witness the capabilities of my power, spell card duplication!" She yelled as she started glowing and rise up in the air.

On the other end of the village, Shizuha Aki looks around. She could have sworn she felt someone speaking to her.

The old lady smiled."Lets see you try to survive a spell card, outsider."

She took out a piece of paper and declared it.

_Leaf Sign "Falling Leaves of Madness"_

From behind her, bright leaf danmaku poured out from behind. They sprayed out in a random pattern, flying toward Dutch.

Shit! Dutch cursed as he dodged the leaves. While they were not fast, the leaves were almost everywhere, meaning that Dutch had to constantly avoid them, often dodging into other leaves. And they were lethal.

He dodged another leaf and discarded any thought of not fighting back.

Phasing out his grenade launcher, he fired a shot at her. The grenade flew beside her and detonated against the wall.

The old lady laughed."Trying to alert the village? Or trying to scare me? The fireworks hide our battle. You have no help, boy."

Well there goes that one. He thought.

After an eternity of dodging, the spell card finally breaks. The old lady applauds.

"For a first time, a human has impressed me. Managing to survive a spell card without flying is quite a feat." She grinned."But you WILL die."

She started glowing again.

In the village center, Sakuya Izayoi frowned. She could have sworn she felt someone talking to her. She looked around. The men around were drinking, not paying her any attention. She put down the items she was carrying and took off into the air. She had to find the source of this strange feeling.

The old lady grinned evilly."Now try this for size!" She yelled.

_Conjuring "Misdirection"_

Cone shaped spreads of knifes flew towards Dutch as random sprays of bright red danmaku flew out as well.

Dutch dodged the red danmaku. As he rolled out of the way, the cones of knifes flew towards him.

As he look at the blades flying towards him, he thought out a command.

Activate Fastsight. He thought.

...

_/Ultra Fast reaction mode:Fastsight Activated/_

...

In Dutch's view, his view was slowed down until the knifes were flying at walking speed. He simply moved in-between them, grazing the blades.

In normal view, Dutch appeared to speed around the knifes, effortlessly avoiding the lethal objects.

It continued like this, Dutch simply using his nanobot enhanced reaction speed to move in between the danmaku.

Just as the spell card was about to end, lines appeared in Dutch's view.

...

_/Warning/_

...

_/Nervous system overloading/_

...

_/Shutting down/_

...

_Crap._ Dutch simply thought.

Caught in mid-cone, Dutch watched as time sped back up to normal speed.

A knife flew straight for his head. As Dutch looked at the tip of the blade, another memory runs through his head.

A sharp needle flying for his head. Reaching for the needle, grabbing for the base and spinning around. Lifting the hand up and throwing it back.

In real life, Dutch grabbed the knife by the hilt and spun around. He spun the knife as well. When he was made a full circle, he threw back the knife. It struck the old lady on the head hilt first.

The danmaku blade dropped and disappeared.

Dutch looked around. He was back in real life.

The old lady snarled."That's enough! You have tormented me long enough."

She started to glow very brightly.

Reimu looked around. She thought she felt someone talking to her. She shook her head and went back to drinking sake with Suika.

The old lady laughed maniacally.

"You are gone."She stated.

_Holy Relic "Yin-Yang Sanctifier..."_

"You will not!" A voice yelled out.

Both combatants looked up onto the roof. A woman with red hair stared down on them.

The old lady cried out."You!"

The woman stared at the old lady with burning hate.

"Yes, me. You swore that if I did not destroy you that you will return back to old hell and repent. It seems that my trust was misplaced." The woman returned.

She raised her right hand. Ditch noticed that it was covered in bandages.

Then black smoke came out of the hand and the bandages collapsed. The bandages are the hand. Dutch realized.

The black smoke enveloped the old lady. She screamed and then slowly floated back onto the floor.

The smoke returned back to the woman's hand, with a spirit with a skull mask in it. The smoke formed the hand and the bandages tied themselves back into a hand. The spirit was gripped by her hand.

"Begone." She said coldly before crushing the spirit. It dissolved into nothing.

The battle was over.

Ditch ran up to the old lady and checked her pulse. It was strong.

Lifting her up, Dutch looked up for the woman that saved him. She was staring at her bandaged hand.

"Thanks." He said.

She looked down on him."That was reckless." She answered.

Dutch shrugged.

"What's your name?" The woman asked.

"Dutch. Dutch Kotozaki." Dutch returned.

"Kasen Ibara." The woman said.

Dutch nodded in answer."Thanks again." He said before leaving, carrying the old lady along with him.

Kasen looked at him as he returned back to the street.

* * *

><p>Dutch carried the old lady back to the line of stalls. The other stallholders saw him carrying her and stopped what they were doing to help them.<p>

"She's fine. Alcohol fumes." He said when they asked him.

He let he other swarm over the old lady and left.

Walking to the center of the town again, he looked at the fireworks still ongoing. Earlier it gave him joy to look at them but now it just reminded him about his past memories.

Sitting down on a bench, he looked up at the splashes of colour.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

Dutch glanced to the speaker. It was Kasen.

"Somewhat." He answered as Kasen sat down.

The two stared at the sky. Dutch looking with a thoughtful face.

"What are you thinking?" Kasen asked him when she saw his face.

"It's strange. Just a few modifications to them and instead of joy, they bring suffering." Dutch answered.

"You...are from the outside, aren't you." She stated.

Dutch smiled."Did you guess from my clothing?"

"That and your last sentence. It's very rare to find someone with that manner of thought here."

Dutch looked at his hands."It's because of your spell cards." He stated."It makes everyone follow the rules. Fighting becomes linear. Straightforward."

"But outside, fighting is not so linear. Everyone is fair game, even children. Families, loving innocent families who have done nothing wrong, get targeted for reasons that might not even relate to them. That brings down the rules, makes it easy for people to do whatever they want. Use whatever they choose."

Dutch looked again at the colorful sky.

"It is well that war is so terrible. Otherwise we would grow too fond of it." He whispered.

Kasen looked at him.

Dutch smiled."But that's another time. And another world."

He got up.

"Now's the time for joy. Not sadness."

He disappeared into the crowd. Kasen stared at him before flying off.

* * *

><p>Late night<p>

Dutch waited at the village entrance. It was where Yukari had instructed for them to wait when they wanted to return back to Mayohiga.

Yukari popped through a gap.

"Done really?" She asked him.

He nodded.

She smiled."I open the gap for you but first I want to ask you a question. During the fight with the possessed woman, very impressive by the way, you managed to dodge one of the spell cards by increasing your speed. How did you do it?"

Dutch looked at her with a blank face."You was watching?"

Nod.

"Why didn't you help?"

Yukari chuckled."You were not in any trouble. The hermit was there."

"It called Fastsight. It increases your reaction speed and your muscle response time. In short, you react and move so fast that time seems slower."Dutch explained.

Yukari smiled again at the information."You are really an interesting human. May I ask how you got this ability?"

Dutch shook his head.

Yukari sighed."The young this days, always keeping secrets from their elders."

She open a gap."It will get you back to the house. Now if you dont mind me, I got a shrine maiden to drink with." She disappeared into another gap.

Dutch stared at the gap then walked into it.

Back in the village, Yukari grabbed another bottle of sake.

Reimu looked at her."Where did you go?" She asked.

Yukari grinned."Just another human that went through the border. You meet him soon~" She took a gulp from the bottle.

Reimu frowned."If he is like the others that crossed over the border then no thanks."

Yukari pouted."Awwww~ Are you still angry about the last one?"

Reimu exploded."Yes! He ignored all my advice, pissed off the humans in this village and almost died by Rumia 9 times! I was about to sleep and then I have to go save an idiot that deserves whatever that happens to him. So YES, I am still angry."

Yukari lifted her hand in a peace gesture."Calm down. He's not like that."

Reimu breathed in."How would you know?"

"He got fighting experience from the outside world and he just survived a lethal danmaku duel. He is special. Very special." Yukari ticked off.

Reimu eyes opened in surprise."He survived a lethal duel? With no experience?"

Yukari nodded.

Reimu took a sip of sake."That's the most amazing thing I have heard this week. How did you get this person?"

Yukari laughed."He landed in front of my front porch."

"Hey all. How it's going,ze?" Marisa appeared behind."What's about this outsider that survived a lethal danmaku duel?"

Reimu glanced at her."Shouldn't you be managing the fireworks?"

"It's all done. The rest are set to fire in sequence ze."

The two repeat what was discussed. Marisa whistled at the information.

"Damn gappy. You get the strangest of outsiders ze. Can I meet this dude?" Marisa asked.

Yukari shook her head.

"Reimu first. I'm not taking the chance of having another 'borrower' in Gensokyo." Yukari answered.

Marisa sat down and the three drank through the night.

* * *

><p>Sakuya flew back to the mansion, laden with goods.<p>

The haul from this festival was good. Prices were always slashed during the festival so it was a great time to get stuff that would normally be expensive.

But her mind was on something else.

The match between the outsider and the possessed old lady. The outsider managed to get pass her spell card without being hurt. And at the last part, he plucked one of the knifes out of the air easily and threw it back.

And at the entrance of the village. He was talking to the gap youkai. And he used her gaps.

Her mistress would want to hear this.

* * *

><p>DONE.<p>

JUST VERY UNSATISFIED WITH WORD COUNT. COULD BE MORE!

My god, writing a spell card battle requires a lot of research.-_-

Seriously through, thanks for your reviews. it forms part of the fuel that drives my mind.

Since i am relatively new to fanfiction, I not sure how to get me a beta reader. any volunteers?

For storyline purposes, i will clearly indicate when lethal or non-lethal danmaku is used.

For example, 'Bright bolt of danmaku' will indicate lethal while 'bolt of danmaku' will indicate non-lethal.

Physical weapons, as earlier stated, are lethal in all forms.


	8. ET exist!

Dutch pulled the trigger and the M4 barked.

Triple bolts of danmaku flew out of the barrel and struck the wall.

A series of numbers appeared on the energy ball behind them. Dutch turned around.

He nodded at the result and turned to Vale floating next to him.

"Perfect. Set the charge level settings to this and mark this charge level. It's the optimum level for any gun, relatively." He said.

Vale turned green for a second then returned to her normal blue. "It's done Master. But what do you mean relatively?" she asked.

"What we have done is to set an adaptive template for any weapon using bullets. For example, a weapon that uses smaller bullets will have a smaller charge. Increase the size and the charge increases. Decrease the size and the charge decreases. Bullet speed is also a major factor. A pistol uses larger rounds than a rifle but flies at a slower rate. This means while a pistol bullet will, by mass, have more charge in it. The rifle bullet, which is faster, will overall have more charge because of the faster speed. It will be the same for any other types of weapons."

"Understood master." Vale answered.

Dutch smiled." And it only took us two nights of modification to get it right."

"Yea and thirty-six experimental firings to get it right. Two of which resulted in a explosion, three of which resulted in danmaku that stopped in midair, and one that resulted in the danmaku breaking up and bouncing off the walls repeatedly." Vale recounted with a sheepish voice.

Dutch chuckled. "It's not experimentation if you don't get something interesting."

"So when will you release this template into the realm?" Vale asked him.

Dutch looked at the energy ball. "Midnight. Part of the spell card rules states that it is absolute. Any modification results in sealing. I highly doubt that the creator of the spell card system will not seal us if he/she finds out about this modification. Even if we are outside the system. Hopefully at midnight, the creator will be asleep and won't detect the changes."

He looked at the computer and smiled. "You crafty youkai." He said.

Vale floated in a confused manner.

"Yukari Yakumo. She is the youkai of boundaries. She can change the border between anything. She's the one that requested me to set the template for guns. She stated that she cannot change the system herself because she is a user and is held down by the rules." Dutch explained.

"But, she can change the border of absolution and add a template herself." He noted.

"Why ask you to do it?" Vale asked.

"Because she wants to avoid being sealed. By using me, she adds a third party into the mix. If the creator goes looking for me, Yukari can show Gensokyo the perpetrator and then bump me off quickly before anyone finds out the truth. Leaving her completely safe." Dutch finished.

"So why are we doing it?" Vale asked in a panicked voice.

"Because she is right. The introduction of guns will break the balance. It will bring a wave of death into Gensokyo. Right now, the spell card system allows for combat without death. While the spell cards can be elevated to lethal levels, it will still be the same spell cards, meaning that a person with experience in spell cards can survive them. With guns however, the bullets are very fast, almost invisible and they are all simple to use. Just point, shoot, reload." Dutch explained.

"With the template, its still point, shoot, reload but this time, it fires danmaku, which are familiar to the spell card users. This means they will be able to recognize and dodge them. With the decrease in speed of the danmaku as well, it will be slower. It's still pretty fast danmaku by their standards but it's is slow enough for them to dodge."

"But if we get found out, we will be sealed!" Vale said again.

"I know."

"Then why?" Vale asked.

Dutch looked at the energy ball. "Because it is right." He spoke, staring into nothing.

Vale floated, silent.

"We work in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Our victories are silent, our defeats are loud. The world condemns our existence but we work to keep it that way." Dutch recited. "That is our creed. The creed of the deniable."

"I understand." Vale answered.

Dutch smiled.

* * *

><p>Yukari groaned, face first on the table<p>

Hangovers are not fun.

Lifting her head up, she took the cup of coffee that Ran left on the table and took a long gulp.

Giving up the fight with the pain, she opened a gap, reached inside and changed the border of hangovers, just for her. She sighed in relief as the pain subsided.

Dutch walked in. "Hangover?" He asked.

Yukari smiled. "Not anymore."

Dutch sat down and yawned.

"Didn't sleep well?" Yukari asked him in return.

"Not really. It's just that the vault have been using my sleeping time as my time in it. My mind is sleeping but I have been 'awake' at the same time. It's causing problems." He answered.

"You get used to it. Alternatively, you could find a different way to enter the vault." Yukari said.

"Not now. Not when the changes are about to come into effect." Dutch returned.

"When?"

"Midnight." Dutch answered.

Yukari nodded and took another sip.

"So what are we doing today?" He asked.

"I was thinking of letting you meet the people of the creator of the vault." Yukari said.

Dutch looked the shard in his glove. "Anything I should know beforehand?"

"The subordinates of the people have something that might seem weird. They have rabbit ears." Yukari described.

"I met one of them at the festival. A girl with rabbit ears and purple hair." Dutch remembered.

"That's Reisen Udongein Inaba. She is the student of the creator. Most usually refer to her as Udonge. She is a lunar rabbit." Yukari said.

"A lunar rabbit?" Dutch asked

Yukari nodded. "Yes, that's right. The lunar part will be explained later. Right now, you just need to know this. There are two types of rabbits. The earth rabbits and the lunar rabbits. You can tell the difference via their ears. They use their ears for communication. Hurt one and the others will know it."

Dutch nodded at the information.

"How about Renko and Maribel, Will they be coming along?" Dutch asked.

Yukari chuckled. "They are trying to sleep off the effects of last night."

In their own bedrooms, Renko and Maribel both groan.

* * *

><p>Bamboo forest<p>

Dutch looked around. Bamboo, bamboo, everywhere.

"It's easy to get lost here. Follow me and stick close." Yukari said as they look around in the clearing.

She took off into the bamboo. Dutch followed her, constantly making sure he could see her.

She wasn't kidding about getting lost. He thought as he made his way through the forest.

After about a minute or so, the two came onto a clearing. Inside the clearing, girls with rabbit ears were working on mochi, pounding it with mallets. The activity stops as every one of the earth rabbits stop to stare at the intruders.

"Hello. We are here to meet the lunar doctor. Take us to your leader." Yukari said with a smile.

A rabbit with a carrot necklace stepped forward.

"Is Eirin expecting you?" She asked.

"Yes Tewi. She is expecting us. Can you lead us to her?" Yukari answered.

Tewi turned around and spoke. "Get back to work." The rest of the earth rabbits returned back to their mochi.

Yukari and Dutch followed Tewi down a path.

As they walk along the path, Dutch watched Tewi slightly move her leg to the right and continued walking.

Curiously, Dutch raised his leg and tapped the spot. The ground collapsed.

Both Yukari and Tewi carried on walking.

Dutch walked over the hole.

After about 3 minutes of walking, they came up onto a large Japanese style mansion. Right next to the mansion was a clinic.

"The doctor is inside. Good luck." Tewi said, indicating towards the clinic and smiling, before turning around.

Dutch watched her back disappear.

Yukari smiled. "You avoided her trap."

Nod.

"Join the really small club."

The two entered the clinic.

Inside, a earth rabbit at the counter sat up.

"Welcome to Eientei." She spoke.

"We have an appointment with the doctor. Special case." Yukari said.

The rabbit nodded. "She is in the examination room. First on the right."

The two followed the instructions. At the door Yukari turned to Dutch.

"Nervous?" She asked.

"Why? Unless you bought me for a shot, I should be fine." Dutch returned.

Yukari smiled. "You have no idea. Wait for me." She opened the door.

Inside, a woman with silver hair was looking at a piece of paper. She looked up when the door opened.

"Ah. It's you." She said.

Yukari smiled. "I bought the owner."

"Show me."

Dutch walked in through the door.

Eirin stared at him, visually examining with her eyes. Dutch sat down, examining the room with his own eyes. It was your standard lab room, down the random test-tubes with chemicals on stands on the tables.

After a couple of seconds, Eirin looked away. "He looks healthy enough."

Yukari pouted. "You think I would let him come into any harm."

Eirin gave her a sharp look. "You could do that without any moment notice."

Dutch watched the exchange.

Eirin turned to him. "Your name, Age and any other information." She barked.

"Dutch Kotozaki. Age:19. Any other information: classified." Dutch returned, unperturbed by the sudden questions.

Eirin turned back to Yukari. "An outsider." She stated.

Yukari nodded. "Dutch, can you wait outside? The doctor and I have something to talk about."

Dutch nodded before standing up and leaving the room.

Eirin spoke. "I expected someone from Gensokyo. Not an outsider."

"Why would you think that?" Yukari asked.

"The defenses of the vault are substantial. To open the first door would require concentration to open the magical lock while being attacked by the guardians. Exceptional control of magic would be required to open the second door which is guarded by guardians that are specially created to fight magic. Both doors cannot be destroyed by physical means, only by high-powered magic that would destroy the entire vault chamber. Since we know for certain that magic is extremely rare in the outside, the most logical choice was that someone from Gensokyo discovered the secret from here and crossed over the border to find it." She explained.

Yukari chuckled. "What if I told you that Dutch met two people that have magical abilities, followed them and accidentally discovered the vault, and managed to fight off the defenses while one of them opened both doors and reached the vault. With him having no magical ability."

"The odds of that are so small Marisa being a shrine maiden has larger ones. To fight off the guardians would require superhuman abilities. They were made to fight your kind. Even with the current human weapons, it's impossible." Eirin answered.

"It happened." Yukari said.

* * *

><p>Dutch sat on a chair and laid against the wall.<p>

The clinic was making another memory surface.

_"It's not a full solution. There's going to be leakage."_

_"Do it."_

Breathing in, Dutch closed his eyes.

...

/Secondary System. Data Override. In progress./

/Estimated time: 3 Days/

...

"Hello?"

Dutch opened his eyes.

The girl with bunny ears from yesterday was standing in front of him.

"You are the guy who alerted me about the man from yesterday, right?" She asked.

Dutch nodded. "I am, my name is Dutch Kotozaki." He introduced.

She has nice red eyes. Dutch thought.

"Reisen Udongein Inaba. Most people call me Udonge." She returned.

"The man. How is he?" He asked.

"He is fine but he is still in critical condition. "She answered.

"Can I see him?"

Udonge motioned. "This way."

Dutch followed her to another part of the clinic.

In a room was the scarred man. He was lying on a bed and around him were machines that monitored his condition in regular beeps.

Dutch entered the room. The man turned to him.

"It's you." He croaked.

Nod.

"Why did you save me?" He asked.

Dutch sat down on a chair. "Because it was right. You did not deserve to die."

The man smiled. "If you stayed here for a while, you would think differently."

Dutch chuckled. "Then you were lucky that I was an outsider, don't you think?"

The room lapsed into silence.

"The old lady was possessed by an evil spirit that I summoned." The man said.

"Why would you do that?" Dutch asked.

"Vengeful spirits carry their desires with them. When the desires come in contact with the lava of old hell, it gets melted down and transformed into gold. The gold sometimes reaches the surface via hot springs. I picked up the gold and it brought the vengeful spirit up as well. It possessed a passing old lady. That's how it happened." The man explained.

"What did the spirit wanted to do?"

"It wanted to use its spell card duplication to sow discord in the village between the other groups. If the human village was attacked by a spell card from another group, distrust would quickly spread." The man said.

"The spirit is gone." Dutch said.

The man smiled. "Thank you."

"So what happens to you now?" Dutch asked.

The man shrugged. "If the village finds out about this, I will be shunned or exiled. Right now, I am staying at the clinic but once I get released, I have nothing for me."

Dutch thought for a while.

"How about an offer." Dutch asked.

The man smiled. "My life is in your debt. You can ask me for anything."

"How would you like to be part of a wolfpack?" Dutch asked.

* * *

><p>Dutch stood outside the door, waiting for the call to enter. It has been half an hour. His conversation with the man had ended 15 minutes ago and he made his way back but the room was still closed.<p>

Remembering the conversation, he smiled. The old skills were coming back.

Finally the door opened. "Dutch, can you come in?" Yukari asked.

Dutch walked in the room. It was the same as he left, the lunar doctor and Yukari both still seated at the same spot.

"Sit down." The doctor said with a smile.

As Dutch obeyed, the woman spoke again. "Perhaps I was rude the first time. Let's start over. My name is Yagokoro Eirin. I am a lunarian."

"Dutch Kotozaki, What do you mean with lunarian?" Dutch returned.

"There exists a civilization on the moon. A highly advanced civilization which has existed long before your kind have attained intelligence. I am an example of this civilization." Eirin answered.

"And we can't see this civilization because?" Dutch asked.

"What you see is the scientific moon. The lunar capital exists on the true moon, which you cannot find using your scientific equipment. Both moons are linked together."

Dutch nodded at the information.

"Now it's my turn. Can I see the vault?" Eirin asked.

Dutch phased in his glove and took it off.

Eirin took the glove and examined it." It actually fused into the glove and changed it's shape. That would indicate a successful change of ownership."

"You made this?" Dutch asked.

Eirin looked up. "I was a friend of the maker. The vault was to be a final project for him. At the day he finished, the vault activated and he and it disappeared. From that moment on, the vault carved a path, popping up repeatedly through human history but no matter how hard we tried, we could never get it back. Then it washed up onto the shore of this land. I got hold of it but due to certain circumstances, could not return it back to the moon. I decided on the second best thing, to hide, never to be seen again. It worked, until now."

Dutch shrugged. "I can tell you that meeting the vault was completely unintended."

"Whether it was intended or not, you have to deal with the repercussions." Eirin spoke.

"I'm listening."

"The appropriate lunar authorities have been alerted. They will be coming to Gensokyo to meet you and probably bring you back to the moon. There, you will be evaluated. I will not lie. It is very likely that you will not survive."

"Why?" Dutch asked.

"The evaluation will be...grueling. I am not sure what they will put you through but expect tests that will kill you."

"Why would they do that?" Dutch questioned.

Eirin sighed. "The moon has core belief that it is a base of purity. Any being that have a lifespan are impure. Pure beings do not have a lifespan and can live indefinitely. Since you are linked by soul to an object that is made by a pure being, the lunarian elite will try to kill you to prevent it from being known by the greater lunar society. It will threaten their view of purity."

Dutch frowned. "You seem rather aloof of the whole matter."

Eirin smiled. "My experiences have shown me that impure beings are not the savages we think they are. They can be just as the same as any lunarian, sometimes even better than some of the ones on the moon. Even a hyper-advanced civilization has its own set of scum."

"So when will the lunarians arrive?" Yukari asked.

"That, I do not know. I will send word when they arrive." Eirin said.

Mayohiga

That night

Dutch sat on the front porch, staring at the sky.

"Surprised that there is civilization on the moon?" Yukari asked from behind him.

"Definitely." Dutch answered. "But that is not as surprising as that it's core belief can be simplified to they hate anything on earth which is not them. That is scary, to say the least."

"You will be meeting them." Yukari said.

"That part is not as scary as the first." Dutch answered. "I have met my fair share of monsters."

"Lunarians are an upstart race. Some of them look down on the lunar rabbits, their co-inhabitants on the moon. For an advanced race, they are very repulsive." She said.

"A small group does not determine the whole. I'll see for myself." Dutch answered before standing up and leaving.

"Yes you will." Yukari answered.

* * *

><p>Eientei<p>

Eirin sat on the table, thinking back to the conversation she with Yukari while Dutch was not in the room.

Flashback start

"He reacted to my sudden questioning without any mistake. It would indicate that he has very fast reflexes. Faster than average." Eirin noted.

Yukari smiled. "Oh, he's more special than that. Yesterday, he got into a fight with four men. I was watching him the whole time and you could see that he already made a plan to win as if he knew it was coming and he had planned it all out."

Eirin noted the information down. "That would indicate experience in fighting."

Yukari nodded. "I used my contacts in the outside world to check on him. They tell me that Dutch's past is unknown. Any information about him is all hidden."

Eirin wrote in her notepad. "A very strange person to have fused with the vault. I recommend that we watch him closely."

"My sentiments exactly." Yukari agreed.

Flashback end.

Taking her notebook, she looked at the information jotted down.

"Master, the clinic has been closed." Udonge said.

Eirin gave Udonge a grateful nod.

"Udonge, during the afternoon, did you meet a young man waiting outside the room?" Eirin asked.

Udonge nodded. "Dutch-san, right?"

"Yes. What do you think of him?" Eirin asked.

"He is a nice person. He was the one that alerted me to the patient. But there was something strange about him." Udonge remembered.

"Carry on." Eirin said.

"When we first met, he looked straight into my eyes without any problems what so ever." Udonge said.

Eirin jotted down the information.

"This human keeps getting stranger and stranger."

* * *

><p>Midnight<p>

The vault

Dutch stared at the energy ball.

"Right. Let's finish this." He said.

Walking unto the interface, he started typing. The ball started to glow.

Vale floated behind, watching the events unfold. It was all in Dutch's hands now.

As he typed, the ball glow brighter and brighter until it was a blinding light. It started to give off bursts of lighting that struck the walls.

"Realm rule selected. Adding template. "The interface intoned.

Dutch stepped back from the interface. The lighting bursts were growing in intensity, striking everywhere. Avoiding a moving arc, Dutch stepped back as far as possible.

Suddenly the lighting strikes stopped and the room was silent.

"Is it over?" Dutch asked.

The ball gave out a screech that forced Dutch to cover his ears. The ball started to pulsate, energy sparking along it's diameter.

"Well shit." Dutch said.

It started to grow, giving of an ominous rumble.

Vale flew right in front of Dutch.

"What are you doing?" He yelled.

The ball exploded.

* * *

><p>DONE!<p>

Thanks to those that have read and reviewed it and other what not.

Special thanks goes to sweebation for helping to proofread.

Wolfpack:A tactic developed by german u-boat submarines to hunt down convoys of supplies ships. It devastated entire convoys, often reducing 40+ ship convoys to almost none.


	9. Pain is weakness leaving the body!

"Ah..."

...

_/Operator revival successful/_

...

Dutch opened his eyes. He was lying on the bed.

_Vale?_ He thought.

Nothing.

Sitting up, he tried again.

_Access Vault_. He thought.

...

_/Unable to comply/_

_..._

_/Vault systems inaccessible/_

_..._

_/Reason:Unknown/_

...

"Damn." Dutch cursed.

Sitting there thinking about it, he remembers a sentence he once said.

"Right now we got to carry on. No point standing here and doing nothing." He repeated.

Standing up, he leaves the room and heads for the front porch.

Yukari sat on the front porch, looking out. She turned around and smiled when she saw Dutch.

"I felt the changes. I thank you for your effort." She said.

Dutch nodded.

"Is there anything you want from the outside world? As thanks." She said.

Dutch sat down and thought about it for a couple of minutes. He rattled off a couple items.

Yukari smiled. "That I can do. But why the last one?"

"I am pretty sure that I will need it here." Dutch answered.

Yukari nodded. She opened a gap and reached inside.

"Found them. Do you want them now?" Yukari asked.

Hopefully this still works. He thought.

Dutch phased in his glove and called out tendrils of energy. The tendrils reached into the gap, glowed bright and retreated back to Dutch's glove.

Yukari smiled. "I see that you been practicing."

He phased out a sheath.

Taking out the knife inside, he looked at the 9-inch grey blade.

He swung it around and smiled.

"_What's this? This doesn't feel like a normal knife. It's too light."_

_"That, Dutch, is a 9-inch single-edge steel-coated artificial black diamond blade. And it's yours."_

_"You're shitting me."_

_"My finances wish i was but no."_

Putting the knife back into the sheath, he sighed.

_Vale?_ He tried again.

Nothing.

Yukari smiled. "I think it's time for you to learn how to fight the Gensokyian style. You fellow companions will be joining us during breakfast. They will also be joining you for combat training as well."

She left the front porch.

Dutch stared at his glove.

* * *

><p>Human village<p>

On route to hakurei shrine

"Remind me why we have to do this?" Maribel asked.

"Anyone living in Gensokyo should learn how to defend themselves. In the human villages you are safe but outside, prepare to be eaten if you don't know how to fight off the youkai." Yukari explained.

"Also, learning danmaku is very helpful in developing your magical talents. It teaches you to tap into your magical reserves and harness it quicker and is easier than actually having a magic user do it for you."

Maribel sighed. "But all my magic can do right now is help me see boundaries."

Yukari chuckled. "What you experienced in the outside is just a small portion of your power. With training, you will be able to draw out far more. Where we are going, the training will be very efficient."

Dutch watched the two. "So why am I joining them? If I recall correctly, I'm using a gun to fire danmaku, not any magical reserves."

Yukari smiled. "That's why you will be trying the next level. Spell cards duels. And what better way to do that than the person that created them."

Dutch gave Yukari a strange look.

The I don't know what you are doing but I'll play along look.

Renko just walked along, silent.

After climbing a set of stairs, the four reached a shrine. It was, for the lack of a better word, a bit run down. The shrine looked structurely sound but the paint has the hue of neglect on it. The charms were slightly frayed and the donation box had several chips like it was attacked. Altogether, it gave the shrine a rather drab look.

Yukari called out. "Reimu!"

No answer.

Yukari sighed. "She always needs a bit of encouragement."

She gapped in a 1 yen coin and threw into the donation box. The coin bounced off the edge, rattled over the grating and hit the bottom.

Still nothing.

Yukari frowned. "That's strange. Normally she would be rushing here by now."

"What do you think I am, a rent-a-shrine-maiden?" A voice from behind.

The four jumped.

Yukari turned around. "Reimu~!"

Reimu dodged her hug. "Mind telling me why there are three outsiders here?"

Yukari picked herself up from the ground. "Awww~. Not even a hi to you best companion?"

Reimu cocked her eyebrow. "I shall repeat my question."

Yukari sighed then went all business. "Oh, I bought them here for you to teach them danmaku."

Reimu glared suspiciously at Yukari. "And why should I help?"

Yukari pulled the biggest smile in her life. "Because it is the duty of a hakurei shine maiden to help anyone in need."

Reimu sighed. "Alright but you owe me."

A 'SCORE' popped up behind Yukari. "Okay."

Reimu turned to the three fellow humans. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>Hakurei shrine<p>

Inside

The three sat down in front of Reimu.

"Alright. Let's get started. Danmaku is the primary form of combat in this lands. You will be learning how to use it efficiently. But first, you will need to tap into your magic reserves." Reimu explained.

She turned to Yukari. "They do have magic, right?"

Yukari smiled. "The two females have but the male is a special case~."

Reimu sighed again. "Alright, I focus on the ones with magic first."

She turned back to the three in front of her. "Right now, I need you to visualize. Close your eyes. Think you are in a dark room."

Renko and Maribel nod.

"Now call up your magic in your mind." Reimu instructored.

In both women view, their dark room now had their magic in front of them. Renko's was a bright blue geyser while Maribel's one was a ball with a rainbow of colors.

"Now, using your mind, visualize a bolt."

Renko had a yellow bolt shooting out from the geyser and heading to her. It floated to a stop in front of her. Maribel's ball stretched out a small portion until the bolt was formed.

"Now will it to become real."

"Now open your eyes."

Maribel let out a surprised gasp when she saw the bolt. Renko simply stared at hers with wonder.

"You have now have your danmaku." Reimu said.

Renko reached out to touch it but stopped a centimeter away.

"Don't worry, danmaku cannot hurt its own creator." Reimu chuckled.

Renko touched her bolt. "It feels warm."

"Danmaku is basically shooting your magic reserves. It feels warm because it is part of you. But anyone shot by it will have a very unpleasant feeling. Trust me, I know from experience."

Reimu smiled. "Now that you know how to create danmaku, you have to learn to fight with it."

The two women nodded.

* * *

><p>5 minutes later...<p>

The danmaku bolts struck the two seals. They gave a small corresponding boom.

Reimu nodded. "Good. Accuracy with your danmaku is important. In a actual fight, random shooting will not grant you victory."

Renko and Maribel both grin.

"Now do that with while shooting faster."

The grins died.

"In a fight, one shot can be easily dodged. Even the lowest level youkai will not lose due to a single shot. You have to shoot faster then that. And this is only basic level." Reimu explained.

Groan.

At the back, Dutch and Yukari watch the training.

"What's your opinion?" Yukari asked.

"She's right. From my one duel experience,I could tell that fights here don't end with a single shot." Dutch answered.

"You're adapting fast." Yukari smiled.

"It's a human trait."

"Oh really? I usually spark anything that is new. No need to change what is tried and true daze." A voice behind them said.

Dutch jumped. Yukari simply smiled.

"Oh but you have always been known for brute force, not finesse, right Marisa?" Yukari answered.

The black white magician, balancing on her broomstick, chuckled.

"Well its worked, didn't it? Besides, it's not magic if it's not flashy ze."

In a certain house in the forest and another certain mansion, a puppeteer and a magician gritted their teeth.

"So who's the dude ze?" Marisa asked.

"Oh, some outsider that landed on my front porch. The other two women joined him as well. There's nothing special about him except he survived a spell card duel." Yukari said.

Marisa eyes widened. "That's him? I expected someone less...average ze."

Burn.

"I'm right here." Dutch answered.

Yukari laughed.

* * *

><p>Breaktime<p>

Reimu crossed her arms.

"So how is the guy a special case?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing special, just that he uses a outsider weapon to shoot danmaku since he does not have any magic~." She said.

Reimu nodded. "That takes care of his danmaku. So what do you want to do with him?"

Yukari smiled. "Oh, nothing hard. Just spell card training."

"You never ask for the simple things, do you?"

SMILE.

Reimu turned to Dutch. "You survived a lethal duel."

Nod.

"May I ask what were the cards?"

Dutch searched his memory. "I believe they were Leaf sign Falling leaves of madness and Conjuring Misdirection."

Marisa whistled. "The first card was pretty easy but the second? That's takes a bit of skill. And you did this without flying?"

Nod again.

Marisa grinned. She gave a thumbs up to Yukari.

Reimu paused. "Wait. If he does not have any magic, how do I teach him spell cards."

Yukari laughed. "He may not have magic but he 'has' magic. Dutch?"

Dutch phased in his glove.

"So what, it's a glove that can go invisible." Reimu said.

Yukari grinned evilly. "It's a glove attached to a magical artifact that connected to a a pocket universe and has the ability to store anything and everything it comes across. I think our magician knows what I am talking about."

Marisa's eyes widened. "The soul link. A magical artifact that fell from the sky ages past. It remembers everything the soul goes through."

Yukari chuckled. "That's what's it's called now? I remember when it used to be simply be called the vault."

Marisa grinned BIG. The prospects of knowledge from the glove were massive. Oh, the opportunity of learning about something that Patchouli has not met before. The possibilities for profit are endless.

"Can you let me keep him?" She said to Yukari.

Yukari smiled. "No. But you could fight him. It will be helping him to experience spell cards more."

Dutch jaw-dropped. "You can't be serious."

"On the contrary, I am. Experiencing a spell card duel in its full glory will be very helpful." Yukari answered.

Dutch held up his hand. "I already did."

Yukari laughed. "That's small fry compared to Marisa. She is one of the second most powerful human in Gensokyo. And don't worry, it's non-lethal."

Marisa grinned. "Get ready!"

Dutch turned to Yukari. "I hate you so much right now."

_Magic sign "Milky way"_

Star of different shapes and sizes started to fly towards Dutch.

_Ohmyfreakinggodarethosestars?_ He thought as he dodged the danmaku.

"Spell cards are pattern of danmaku imprinted on pieces of paper." Reimu said.

"What is this? A practical and theory lesson rolled into one?" Ditch yelled as he tried dodged a line of large stars but failed.

_Ow._ He thought as he tumbled across the floor. Quickly picking up him self, he successfully rolled out of the way of another line.

_Feels like getting tasered and paint-balled at the same time._ He noted.

"Each spell card shall be given a beautiful and meaningful name." Reimu continued.

Does _Help sign stop the match_ count? He thought as again, he dodged another lines of stars.

"The number of named spell cards are to be announced before hand in a formal duel."

_Still not very helpful._ Dutch thought as he rolled.

With a sound like energy dissipating,the spell card finally broke.

Marisa grinned. "Only one hit? That's nice daze."

And then she whipped out another card. "Let's try this ze."

_GODDAMNITYUKARI._ Mentally screamed Dutch.

_Love sign "Non-directional laser"_

_Oh, now there is laser beams._ Dutch internal complains continued.

As the laser spun around Marisa, Dutch followed the holes in between the energy beams.

_This is pretty okay._ Dutch thought.

Then came the stars.

"In a formal duel, if all your named spells are defeated, you are defeated, regardless of your remaining strength."

"Oh that's nice and all BUT WE AREN'T IN A FORMAL DUEL!" Dutch yelled as he gave up dodging and decided to smash through the stars than get hit by any lasers.

_Ow Ow Ow Pain._ He thought as he ran into the first star.

It continued that way, Dutch dodging the lines of laser beams and stars and sometimes running through the stars to avoid the laser beams.

Finally the spell card broke.

Marisa whistled. "Runinng through the stars? What, you can't dodge them?"

"I can't fly." Dutch answered, panting.

"Marisa, hit him with a master spark. It will be a good example for him." Yukari said.

"Wait. What is a master spark? Why do I get the feeling I should run?" Dutch asked.

Marisa smiled, reached into her hat and took out her prized mini-hakkero.

She aimed it at Dutch.

"Before I fire, I want to say one thing. No hard feelings ze." Marisa spoke.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING ME?" Dutch yelled.

"It's the fastest way to learn."

The hakkero glowed.

_Love sign "Master spark"_

A large beam of energy blasted out of the mini-hakkero at Dutch.

Dutch yelled and raised his arms to try and stop the beam of love.

And then the glove gave out its own glow.

Tendrils of energy shot out of the glove and reached out for the master spark.

The two met each other with a burst of energy. The master spark suddenly split into different lines, each meeting the tendrils and getting absorbed by them.

Everybody simply jaw-dropped at the sight.

The spectacle continued for the duration of the master spark. It finally ended and the tendrils returned back to the glove.

"Well that was unexpected." Dutch noted as he look at it.

Marisa snapped out of her own trance.

"That was really awesome ze. Now let's see you try one bigger."

Dutch sweat dropped. "Hey now, I'm not sure how it happened. Let's not try to be hasty."

Marisa grinned and aimed her hakkero again at Dutch.

_Magicannon "Final spark"_

A BIG beam of energy burst out of the hakkero. It blasted through the air, shooting out stars along its length.

_Oh come on!_ Dutch thought as he raised his arms. However, this time, something different happened.

...

_/Vault systems activated/_

...

_What?_ Dutch thought.

And then a massive wave of sleepiness enveloped him.

It was a fight to stay awake and he was already losing.

Even as the beam flew towards him, Dutch started to close his eyes.

_Aw hell._ He thought. _At least I won't feel anything._

And his world turned black.

* * *

><p>To the people watching, it looked like Dutch collapsed In front of the beam and was consumed by it.<p>

It blasted pass him and continued before stopping at a set distance and disappearing. Unconscious and unable to feel anything, Dutch was sent flying in the forest, a loud crack indicating where he stopped.

"Dutch!" Renko yelled. She and Maribel ran to the forest. Marisa flew along with them while Reimu watched and Yukari covered her face with her trademark fan.

The trio ran up to the impact spot. Where Dutch were, you could see the trail of destruction that he left behind. Grass, leaves and branches were removed, showing a clear path to where Dutch had broke a sapling in half.

Following the path, the trio were stopped by a noise they did not expect to hear.

A light snore.

With incredulous faces, the trio found Dutch lying on the forest floor, sleeping.

"He fell asleep?" Marisa asked.

Maribel checked his pulse. "It seems so." She answered.

Marisa, for the lack of a better term, shut down.

"He fell asleep. In front of the final spark." She whispered.

Maribel motioned for Renko to help her and the two carried Dutch back to the shrine.

"Is he okay?" She asked.

Maribel answered with a sheepish voice. "He is completely fine. Just sleeping."

Reimu took a sip then after a couple of second spit it out in a surprised jet.

"Sleeping? You mean he fell asleep in front of the spark?" Reimu asked.

To fall asleep in front of a spark was simply insane. Every being who has met with Marisa knows the massive firepower that a spark holds.

So hear that it actually happened...is well, mind boggling.

Yukari laughed out loud. Calming down, she said "He is really an interesting one." And collapsed into another fit of laughter.

"Insane is more like it. It simply has never been done before." Reimu answered.

She motioned to the room behind her.

"Put him inside. Where is Marisa?" Reimu asked.

"She's in the forest. Comprehending." Maribel answered.

Reimu sighed and stood up. "I go get her.

Yukari was still laughing.

* * *

><p>DERP.<p>

There ends our first actual training. Crash courses are not awesome.

No thanks to sweebation this time. Seriously, two days and no answer?

I'll let it slide. You probably had a good reason.(it could be a problem on my side as well. happened before.)

RNR is an ingredient in this story. It is a integral part. Seriously.

REUPDATE. NOT SWEETBATION FAULT. IT ALL MINE!


	10. An appointment with the devil

_"Open your eyes."_

Dutch sat up. "What the hell?"

_"Come."_ Gentle. Soft.

Looking around, Dutch saw that he was in the vault. The state of it was poor. The walls were blackened from repeated strikes and the floating walkway had parts blown off it. The interface computer was a lump of black and the energy ball was giving of streams of energy that disappeared as they circled it.

_"Come."_ A bit insistent.

Dutch got up. The voice was coming from one of the doors in the room. The problem was that the walkway to it was blown off, leaving a 3 meter hole to jump across.

Dutch smiled.

Running towards the hole, he jumped.

At the other side, the door opened in front of him.

_"Go."_

Following the voice, Dutch entered.

Inside was a bed. Lying in the bed was a figure shrouded in white light.

_"This child is the heart and the soul of this artifact. She protected you. Now I ask that you do the same for her. Please."_

The white light faded and Dutch could get a look at the person.

She had silvery-blue hair that flowed down to a pair of wings on her back. The feathers of the wings were crystalline and the wings gave a flap even as Dutch looked. The girl looked to be in the realm of pre-teenage, between child and young adult.

She wore a white-blue dress and a teal blouse that smoothly transitioned into white as it went down.

"Mmph." She let out as she shifted in bed.

Dutch look around. The room was empty except for the bed and it's occupant.

"Who are you?" He asked the walls.

Silence.

Leaning against the wall, Dutch rewound the event leading up to now.

A)He was learning spell card by fighting a duel.

B)The vault absorbed a master spark from Marisa.

C)Right after that, the vault called him in.

D)He was asked by what appeared to be the vault to protect a girl in the vault. Said vault explained that the girl protected him and now it's Dutch turn to do the same.

Having reviewed what has happened, he came to the conclusion.

To give up trying to understand and just keep on going.

_"Missions are not timetables. Always expect Murphy to kick you in the ass. Hell, that's life in general."_

_"What if you get crap?"_

_"You take that crap and keep going. Remember, if you get shit that is down-right insane, don't try to understand it, just keep going. You will be fine."_

Dutch stood up. The girl was still sleeping and he did not want to wake her up.

Time to do some house cleaning.

Walking out, Dutch phased out his glove.

Fix this. He thought.

The tendrils came out of his glove and spread across the room. Leaving what the room was before in it wake, the tendrils cleaned up the mess and returned to Dutch's glove.

As he looked at the now proper map room, Dutch saw a couple of changes that the glove bought.

The easiest to spot was in the center of the room. The computer that was the interface was now a large glass screen with a keyboard in front of it. The energy ball was now smaller and had two tower-like objects that came out of the walls above and below it facing it.

The walkway now branched out to only two doors. Where the third door once stood was a platform. The platform was u-shaped and had fins ringing the center, which was large enough to hold at least six people.

Dutch surveyed his handiwork.

"Well then, what next?" He asked himself.

The platform flashed. The fins light up and a ring appears on the floor of the platform.

Dutch curiously walked onto the platform.

_Go?_ He thought.

The ring rose up.

"What next?" Dutch repeated.

It dropped.

* * *

><p>Dutch opened his eyes again.<p>

He was lying on a futon. Staring at a wooden ceiling.

"Finally. You're awake." Reimu said as she sat beside him.

"What happened?" Dutch asked.

"I should ask you the same question. You fell asleep in the middle of the match and got blasted by the final spark. The blast sent you smashing your way through the forest and stopping into a sapling. The sapling broke in half, by the way." Reimu answered.

Dutch winced. "That sounds painful. What happened afterwards?"

Reimu chuckled. "You lost the match. But you 'won'. Marisa was so shocked by the fact that you could fall asleep in front of her most powerful attack that she sat down trying to comprehend just what happened. She was still in shock the last time I checked.

Dutch smiled. "So I guess the training was called off?"

Reimu grinned evilly. "For you yes. For your companions, they have been training very hard."

Dutch could hear the sound of danmaku firing through the walls.

"So what is your name? I don't usually ask for the names of outsiders since they usually cross the border again but Yukari told me that you would be staying here in Gensokyo. Plus you did fall asleep in front of a spark." Reimu asked.

"Dutch. Dutch Kotozaki." Dutch introduced.

"Reimu Hakurei. I am the shrine maiden of this place and of Gensokyo in particular." Reimu returned.

She adopted a thoughtful face."I met a Koto. Once. A certain Kotohime."

"What was she like?"Dutch asked.

Reimu grinned."Crazy. She thinks she is a princess who is a police officer. But that kind of crazy is common here in Gensokyo."

Dutch chuckled.

Reimu got up. "Well then, I have to check on the progress of your companions. You can just stay and rest. Come out when you feel fine."

She left the room and Dutch was alone.

…But not really.

"Fufufu~ That was the funniest thing I seen all week. You are just full of surprises." Yukari said as her head appeared in Dutch's futon.

Dutch cocked an eyebrow. "At least pop out of somewhere less personal."

Yukari landed on top of him. The 17? year old youkai smiled.

"Is this less personal?" She asked, inches away from his face.

"It would be but you're not exactly a feather." Dutch breathed out.

Yukari huffed and got off.

"So any reason you are here other than to invade my personal space?" Dutch asked.

Yukari smiled. "It seems that you have a dinner arrangement to attend. Ran informed me that the Scarlet Devil Mansion has sent a letter requesting the presence of the outsiders that Mayohiga is currently hosting for a dinner tonight."

"Scarlet devil? That doesn't sound exactly safe for the three of us to attend, don't you think?" Dutch answered.

Yukari chuckled. "The name is just a bit of grandstanding. At the festival, did you happen to meet a maid? One with silver hair perhaps?"

Dutch shook his head.

"Oh well, you will probably have to meet them sooner or later. Better sooner." Yukari said.

"So what will we be going there in? We can't possibly be going there in our every day clothing." Dutch said, indicating his forest pattern combat fatigues.

Yukari smiled. "It will be fine. Here in Gensokyo, the dress code is very causal. You will be fine going there in your current clothing."

Dutch nodded.

"Are we going right after the training? What time is it anyway?" Dutch asked.

Yukari laughed. "Heavens no! You will go back to Mayohiga to change to fresh clothes before leaving. Going right after training would be just plain rude, and it's only mid-afternoon."

"Hmm, I was only out for a short while." Dutch noted.

Yukari smiled and stood up. "You seem pretty fine."

She gapped out of the room.

Dutch stared at the place where Yukari stood and got up.

Outside, he watched Renko and Maribel fire shots at moving targets.

Noting the increased rate of fire from both of them, Dutch sat down to watch them. As he watched, a thump indicated some else sitting down next to him.

"That was absolutely the most insane thing I have ever seen ze. Falling asleep in front of my final spark. That was really awesome daze." Marisa said as her usual energetic self.

Dutch chuckled. "Good to know that it has not scarred you for life. For the record, falling asleep was completely intentional. It was the vault's fault."

Marisa laughed. "Planned or not, that was still freaking awesome. As in you got serious guts kind of awesome ze."

Dutch laughed as well. "My friends would agree. I do believe we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Dutch Kotozaki."

"Marisa Kirisame. The Ordinary Magician." Marisa returned.

The two watch the training. "For outsiders, they are learning pretty fast ze." Marisa noted.

"Oh, they had years of experience in the outside." Dutch answered.

"So what is it like in the outside world?" Marisa asked.

Dutch chuckled. "It's a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces in the wrong places but all still managing to fit together. Look in the right place and you will find memorable things. Things that reminds you how life is beautiful."

"But as always, there are also places that show you how life can get ugly, ugly enough to question your point of existence." He said as his own words brought up old memories. He chased his memories with his eyes.

Marisa glanced at his brooding face and looked away.

"But that's why there are beautiful things, aren't there? To counteract the ugly." Marisa answered.

Dutch smiled.

* * *

><p>"Alright, That's enough for today." Yukari said.<p>

Renko and Maribel groan in relief as they leave the sun and enter the shrine.

"That was just hard." Renko said as she lay down on the floor.

Reimu folded her arms. "Those are only the first few steps to surviving in Gensokyo."

Double groan.

Yukari chuckled. "Danmaku is not learnt in one day, at least by outsiders."

She stood up. "Well, we have to take our leave. The three here have a dinner to attend by a certain devil."

"Her? What does she want?" Marisa asked.

"Oh, just a simple dinner to get to know them, nothing special~" Yukari answered.

She opened a gap. Renko and Maribel stepped through. As Dutch was about to go through, Marisa stopped him.

"A word of advice, she does not attack humans but you have to watch out for her sister. She is extremely dangerous. Avoid her sister at all cost." Marisa whispered.

Dutch nodded. "I keep that in mind." He answered and stepped into the gap.

Yukari smiled. "Don't worry, he can take care of himself. He is that special."

She stepped through the gap and it disappeared.

Marisa and Reimu were the only ones left. Reimu took a sip of tea. "They will be fine. I sensed no ill intent from Yukari."

Marisa dipped her hat, mounted her broom and took off.

* * *

><p>Evening<p>

500m outside the SDM

A gap opened above the road. A red mansion could be seen down the road.

Dutch, Maribel and Renko popped out of the gap.

Dutch was wearing his forest pattern combat fatigues, Maribel was wearing her purple dress without her mob cap while Renko was wearing her white suit and brown dress without her hat as well.

"You should be able to see your destination down the road. Just follow it and you will be fine." Yukari said through the gap.

"Oh and by the way, they are immortal. Feel free to cut lose~"She said and the gap closed.

The trio gave a quizzical look to the closing gap.

"What do you think she meant?" Maribel asked.

Dutch phased out his rifle. "I'll stay on the safe side."

The trio continued down the road.

After about a hundred meters of so, the trio came across a child on the road.

"Hello?" Maribel asked as she approached. The child had black hair with a large green and blue bow in her hair along with a green dress that has frills on it . Her wings would was block-like in shape, kind of like something that has been heavily pixelated, with green square outlines overlapping a black backdrop.

"Are you okay?" Maribel asked. She reached out to touch the child.

Just when her fingers touched the child, the child spun around and shouted. "Boo!"

Maribel jerked back in shock. The child flew up on her wings. Her green eyes flashed like a camera. "Now!" She yelled.

Around them, the forest exploded into multicolored bursts of danmaku.

"What the heck?" Dutch shouted as he returned fire. Renko ran to Maribel and pulled her up. The duo added their danmaku to Dutch's rifle fire.

The child that shouted the cue fired a burst of danmaku at the trio and flew to the left towards the forest. Dutch fired a burst at her.

Before the bright danmaku could reach her, the child motioned with her hands. Her eyes flashed and another child flew out of the forest and intercepted the bolts.

The bolts smacked into the child. She jerked and dropped into the floor. Her body started to dissolve into streams of energy that flow around the spot for a few seconds and entered the earth. Dutch stared in horror at the sight.

"A child. I shot a child." He said, lowering his rifle in shock.

Renko saw his actions. She ran up to him and grabbed him.

"She was the enemy. Dutch, snap out of it." She shouted as she shook him.

Dutch looked at her with shocked eyes, then focused on Renko face. He nodded and lifted up his M4.

Renko breathed in relief. She pulled Dutch along. "We have to get to the mansion!" She yelled at Maribel.

Maribel nodded. The two ran for it, Dutch following, returning fire to any danmaku coming from the forest..

Around them, Danmaku bolts of different colors flew. While the shots were practically everywhere, they were not particularly aimed at them and the trio were not hit by the shots.

As they ran, the mansion came rapidly closer and closer. Soon, they could see the gate.

In front of the gate was a tall women. She had long, straight scarlet hair with two braids tied with black ribbons. She wore an olive green cap with a bronze star in the middle and a decorated olive green dress with a white blouse underneath.

As the woman saw the three running towards them with danmaku, she ran out to help them.

The woman reached inside her dress and pulled out a spell card.

_Flower sign "Gorgeous sweet flower"_

As multi-colored danmaku flew out from around and into the forest, the volume of shots started to decrease. By the end of the spell cards, it had stopped altogether.

"Thank you." Renko said.

The woman nodded. "My name is Hong Meiling, Gate guard of the Scarlet Devil Mansion." She spoke.

"Dutch Kotozaki. My companions names are Renko Usami and Maribel Hearn. We are here at the request of your mistress." Dutch answered.

Meiling nodded. "The outsiders?" She asked.

Dutch nodded, and she smiled. "Welcome to the scarlet devil mansion. I'll open the gate for you. The head maid will be expecting you inside." She said before turning and opening the gate.

Dutch nodded his thanks and entered with his companions.

The gates closed behind them as the trio admire the grandness of the mansion. And grand it was. In front of them was a large garden, filled with flowers of different colors. The garden was lit by floating lamps which looked like bats. The entrance of the mansion had a large intricately designed door.

The mansion itself was large by outside standards. It had two floors, with a large clock tower to the left of the entrance. The clock tower was four stories tall and the fourth story clock face had black burn marks around it, as if fighting took place regularly around it. The third floor was a sheltered balcony protruding out of it which seem to have a view of the mansion's entire front, at least from the angle of the garden. And the whole mansion was red.

The trio proceeded down the garden. Dutch simply walked, admiring the scenery while Renko and Maribel got a closer look at the flowers. Pointing out flowers of special mention in the garden, which was already of special mention, the two women went from one end to the next and back again.

Dutch watched the antics of the two women; chuckling at their antics as he called out to them. "I think it will be rude to leave our host waiting, don't you think? Come on ladies, the flowers will be here tomorrow."

Both women reluctantly stopped the actions. But as the two move away from the flowers, a flower from a tree falls onto Renko's head. Renko raises her hand to brush it off but Maribel moved to fix it onto her hair properly. Admiring her handiwork, she turns to ask Dutch, "What do you think?"

Dutch smiles and gives her a thumbs up. Renko blushes at the compliment and Maribel laughs. "Shall we?" Dutch asks.

His two companions nod and Dutch opens the door.

Inside, the mansion was large. The room they were in was large, easily capable of holding the garden they were just in. It was illuminated by bat-shaped chandeliers with red light bulbs that cast the room in a red glow. There were four different doors on the other end of the room, two on the bottom floor and two in front of a second floor stairway.

"Hello?" Dutch called out. His voice spread out but did not echo which was strange when one considered the size of the room. "That's strange, it didn't echo." He noted.

"Milady wished that first impressions did not include echoes."A voice behind them said.

For the second time in a day, Dutch jumped, but this time he was joined by Renko and Maribel.

Dutch turned around to see a silver haired woman, dressed in a traditional French maid uniform, standing as if she was there all along. She had a long braid on each side of her face with green bows at the ends. She also wore a pink and dark blue French maid's outfit with long sleeves, and had a white maid headband on her head.

She bowed. "My name is Sakuya Izayoi. Chief maid of the Scarlet devil mansion. I welcome you here."

Dutch bowed in return. "Dutch Kotozaki. My companions are Renko Usami and Maribel Hearn."

"The mistress is still in preparation. Do you wish to head straight to the table or wait in a lounge first?" Sakuya asked.

Dutch looked at his fatigues and Renko's and Maribel's clothing. They all had signs of their run through the forest.

"We choose the second option. But first, we had a rather harrowing journey here and our state of clothing is unpresentable at the current moment. Is there a lavatory somewhere for us to freshen up?" Dutch asked.

Sakuya nodded. She snapped her fingers and a pair of young girls dressed in maid uniforms with wings flew out. "Guide our guests to the nearest lavatory. Once they are finished, guide them to the guest lounge."

The girls nodded.

Sakuya bowed and disappeared. The trio was surprised by the sudden disappearance. After looking around for a few second, they shrugged and followed the maids.

As he followed the maids, Dutch remembered the girl he shot earlier. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get over the sight of the body disappearing from his mind.

After a short walk through the red corridors, the trio can upon a pairs of clearly marked doors indicating a lavatory.

Dutch entered one of the door and closed it.

Inside, he walked up to the sink, turned the faucet and splashed water onto his face.

"She is alright."

Dutch turned around to see Yukari, her gap placed strategically so it seemed she was leaning out of the toilet bowl.

"By now she would be alive, flying around and totally forgetting what happened. Her kind tend to have intelligence akin to or even less than children." Yukari said.

"What are they?" Ditch asked.

"Fairies, The most numerous magical being here in Gensokyo. They know simple danmaku, and are pretty stupid by any standards and are all immortal. Kill them and they will regenerate a few minutes later. You were escorted by one as well but that was a fairy maid. Slightly higher levels of intelligence but still pretty stupid." Yukari explained.

"So I should stop feeling guilty?" Dutch answered.

Yukari smiled."You should. Feeling guilty for something that you killed that can't die is pretty stupid, don't you think?"

"Alright. Right now I want to relieve myself. Unless you came here to spy on me; I suggest returning back to where ever you came from." Dutch answered.

Yukari chuckled and entered her gap. The gap closed and Dutch was all alone in the toilet again.

"Crazy ass personal space invading power bending youkai." He said while smiling.

* * *

><p>Scarlet Devil Mansion<p>

Guest lounge

Dutch looked around the lounge.

It looked cozy. One could probably sleep in the lounge if the mansion ran out of room and still be very comfortable.

At the other end of the room was a fireplace, occupied with a fire. Facing the fireplace were a series of chairs, forming a rough semicircle. To the left of the fireplace was a bookcase stacked full of books. At the centre of the room was a table, it's top occupied by a plate of sweets. As usual, the room was red.

Dutch walked to the bookcase. Examining the books, he came across one that was rather accurate of his current situation.

"Neverwhere. Pretty much where I am now." He said.

"Well, you are after all is the same situation as he was in the story."

Dutch turned around to the speaker. Her hair and eyes were purple, and had many ribbons tied to her hair and other body parts. She wore pajama-like clothing and a night-cap. She also carried a book.

She smiled. "Patchouli Knowledge. Librarian for the Scarlet Devil Mansion and long lived magician."

"Dutch Kotozaki." Dutch introduced.

Patchouli smiled. "So you are the outsider that Sakuya talked about. Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It's been a long time since the mansion ever had any guests. It's a breath of fresh air."

"Do people fear coming here?" Dutch asked.

Patchouli coughed."Mukyu! To be more accurate, guests that it actually invited."

Just then, Renko and Maribel came through the door, guided by another fairy maid. Renko was supporting Maribel, who looked woozy. They got to a chair and Renko set Maribel down.

"Are you okay?" Dutch asked.

Maribel nodded. "It's just that the boundaries of this place has been changed to a certain point such that that looking at them makes my head spin."

Patchouli walked up to Maribel and look at her. Nodding, she opened her book and read off a sentence in a strange language while placing her hand in front Maribel. A pair of light globes appears from her hand and entered Maribel's eyes.

Maribel blinked. "That's better. What did you do?" She asked Patchouli.

Patchouli smiled. "Your problem was something that was common among new magicians. The cure was a simple spell, which I administered directly to your eyes. It won't be a problem anymore. Patchouli Knowledge." She introduced.

"Thank you. I'm Maribel Hearn and my friend is Renko Usami."

Patchouli smiled. "Please, make yourself at home. Wanted guests should feel comfortable in a host's home."

The four sat down at the table in the middle of the room.

"May I ask how did this dinner arrangement come about?" Dutch asked.

"Sakuya, the chief maid, was at the human village during the human festival. She saw your battle with the spirit and what happened during the battle. She rushed back to inform the owner of this mansion, Remilia Scarlet. Remilia was interested by you and sent a request to host any outsiders that was currently staying in Mayohiga. Yukari accepted and that's basically what happened." Patchouli explained.

_Goddamn Yukari._ Dutch thought.

A fairy maid walked in."The mistress awaits you at the dinner table."

Patchouli stood up."Well then, you wouldn't want to keep a vampire waiting."

The trio stood up and then turned to the door, and froze.

_Vampire?_ They collectively thought.

* * *

><p>Lunar Capital<p>

Lunar Palace

"HE SHOULD BE PURIFIED! TO THE LAST ATOM!"

Toyohime sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Issues in Lunar society were handled like this. When the issue comes up, houses with ideas relating to the issue would step forth to present them. Other houses could either back the ideas or abstain from the issue. The final verdict would come from a judge that would listen to all ideas and select the idea that seems the most fitting. In rare occasions, they could reject every idea and form one that seems the most fitting.

To prevent the judges from being under any house's control, the judges are kept separate from mainstream lunar society. Their servants are usually lunar rabbits picked from the lowest class of lunar society and then trained in the ways. Training is harsh and dropouts are common. If the lunar rabbits pass the training, they become servants to the judges. It is a great honor to have a lunar rabbit in the family as a servant to a judge.

So for obvious reasons, lunar rabbits families eagerly await the selection process. To prevent any spies under the control of the lunar houses from entering, the candidates are only selected from lunar rabbits families that have no affiliation with any house, hence the selection from the lowest class. Even then, the servants-in-training are watched constantly to weed out any spies.

So the only time the lunar houses have any sway over the judges is during when they present their ideas. Which means that they will try their hardest to prove that their idea is the best one. Which usually leads to impassioned speeches, table banging, and other such displays.

But this issue wasn't the usual kind. The news that a Lunarian device having actually bonded with the soul of am impurity sent the lunar elite into a uproar. It is so earth shaking that the highest lunar judge of all, the lunar emperor Tsukuyomi, is residing over the proceedings.

"Lord Takaru, the device has bloodied its way through impure history. What makes this one impurity any different from any other?" Toyohime asked.

"The device has never bonded with the soul of any impurity before. If I recall correctly Princess Toyohime, it is recorded that it's shape has never changed for any of the impurities that touched it. The fact that it has changed for this impurity means that he should be cleansed." The impassioned Lord Takaru returned.

"Not only that but the message comes from the traitor Yagokoro, who we all know takes refuge in that detestable land, for which the Yukamo resides. What happens if she were to give control of the impurity to the Yukamo? Will you be held responsible for another invasion of the moon?"

Toyohime resisted the urge to jump over the table and smack some sense with her fan into Takaru.

"The same traitor provided information that prevented an invasion of the moon. I think she is trustworthy enough to prevent that from happening." Toyohime answered.

Usually issues concerning impurity ended in two ways, leave it or kill it. But since it was a Lunarian device, it added a layer of problems.

Toyohime's idea was simple. Take the impurity to the capital and evaluate him. Since the device chose him, test him.

Of course the lunar elite balked at her idea. Impurity have never been anywhere near the lunar capital. Even the first invasion of the moon was stopped at the outlying settlements. The impurity that could channel the gods was held at an outlying settlement, never anywhere near the capital. Now she wants to let an impurity enter the capital? Insanity.

But the outlying settlements simply did not have the facilities for testing and that only left the capital.

The other idea was to simply purify the shit out of the impurity then purify the traitor for good measure.

Of course Toyohime could not stand for it. She owned pretty much everything she had to Yagokoro and her training.

Which pretty left the proceedings at an impasse.

Watching the proceeding, High Lord Tsukuyomi spoke. "Normally, on such an occasion, we have always taken the purification stance to be the best solution. This time, despite the Lunarian device, we are simply still dealing with an impurity. Our stance remains the same."

Takaru smiled.

"However, because of the bonding of the soul to the device, we cannot be so hasty to destroy. Therefore, I decree that Princess Toyohime to be to have the better judgement. The impurity shall come to the capital to be evaluated."

To say everyone was stunned was like saying the moon is far away.

Toyohime stood up and bowed. "I thank the High Lord for your decree."

Stunned beyond words, the rest of the lunar houses dumbly rose up and did the same.

* * *

><p>Well then. So ends the 10 installment of our adventure.<p>

If you hadn't read Neverwhere, i highly recommend it. Its like a western gensokyo.

Special thanks again to sweebation for proofreading. And to answer your question, yes, she will be a recurring character.

A story is 40% Inspiration 60%Motivation. Reviews form 70% of Motivation. So review. or get purified. your choice.


	11. Dinner arrangements

Scarlet Devil Mansion

"Yukari never told us she was a vampire!" Our human trio answered.

Patchouli sighed. The guests were getting nervous.

It's not their fault really. Having experienced Gensokyo for a total of 4 days, the impression they had received was of an eastern land. Vampires were in essence a western product and so were not high on the list of being expected. Given the powerful nature of the dwellers of the night, one should be nervous when encountering them.

With youkai, Maribel and Renko at least know thy enemy. They however did not research about vampires, thus their nervousness. Dutch, having essentially tagged along, knew barely anything at all. All he knew about vampires were the usual rumors that floated around on the Internet, which was worse than nothing.

"Your fears are unfounded. Remi is not the violent kind. In fact, I can tell you that she looks forward to meeting you all." Patchouli answered.

"I assume she is not the indestructible, sparkly kind?" Dutch asked.

Patchouli laughed and then coughed. "Mukyu! Please don't ask her anything relating to that subject. I have never seen a book ripped and burned so fast."

The four walked down the corridor until they were outside a large set of doors.

"I assure you. You will not be in any harm in this house; As long as you remain on Remi's good side at least." Patchouli said and pushed open the doors.

Before the doors even fully opened, a wonderful smell hit them, almost knocking them out of their nervousness. Unconsciously, our human trio started to salivate. It was just that good.

Inside, a long table stood before them, its top held hostage by plates of food that gave out the wonderful smell. Elaborately designed pillars with bat motifs that reached up to the ceiling, with small enclaves in them holding candles, lined the room. At the other end was another pair of intricately designed doors, similar to the ones that welcomed them at the entrance. Built into walls around the room were small mirrors, strategically placed to distribute light around the whole room, allowing the room's full glory to be seen.

At the other end of the long table sat the lady of the house. Wearing a light red dress with bright scarlet red trimmings, her red eyes gazed over at our trio, with short light blue hair that was covered by a mob cap similar to her dress and a pair of black bat-like wings on her back sat Remilia Scarlet. On any other person, it might have made a somewhat strange sight but on Remilia, but it fitted her. It might have been a frightening sight except she was noticeably short. _VERY_ noticeably short.

As our trio comes to terms with their host height or rather, her lack of it, she spoke. "Welcome, honored guests, to the scarlet devil mansion. Please, take a seat."

As our four take their seats, Remilia spoke again. "I am your host, Remilia Scarlet. I thank you for joining me for this dinner. I have heard a great many things about you."

She focused her eyes on Dutch. "Especially you."

Dutch kept a straight face. "I'm flattered that you feel it warrants a dinner to meet us. I trust your knowledge about me is on the positive side?"

Remilia smiled; one fang visible just peeking over her lips. "Sakuya?" She asked her maid, standing right behind her.

Sakuya bowed and her hand blurred. Dutch's hand did the same and he was now holding a knife in his hand. He threw it back just as quick, sticking itself to a candle on a pillar.

It was fast and it was perfect, almost as if it was choreographed.

Remilia clapped. "I believe our dinner entertainment is finished? Let's commence the purpose for coming here."

A fairy maid flew out of the double doors behind them and up to Remilia and whispered into her ear. Remilia hissed back at the fairy maid. The fairy maid answered in an apologetic way.

And the double door exploded.

Everyone turned their attention to the now nonexistent wooden blockade. Well, at least the inhabitants of the mansion did. Our human trio jerked their heads as fast as they could. Sudden explosions tend to do that.

As splinters and smoke blew inward, Dutch spied a movement in the smoke. It looked like multiple colored light moving in the smoke. And then a blonde girl blasted out of the smoke.

"Onee-sama!" She yelled as she flew over the dinner table.

"Flandre!" Remilia yelled as her younger sister flew into her, knocking over Remilia's chair.

The two sisters tumbled across the room before coming to a stop at the other double doors. Remilia was struggling to release herself from Flandre's arms even as her sister hugged her with great delight.

Like her sister, Flandre eyes were red. She also wore a pink mob cap, like her sister, but that's where the similaries stopped. Flandre had short blonde hair, with a portion of it tied to a short ponytail on her left side. She wore a red skirt and vest with a pink shirt underneath. Unlike Remilia's bat wings, her wings appeared to be iron bars with different colored crystals hanging off it.

It show our trio watching a picture of an over eager hyper-energetic younger sister with rainbow crystal wings, who also is a vampire.

Then Dutch remembered Marisa's advice. _You have to watch out for her sister. She is extremely dangerous. Avoid her sister at all cost._

_Well avoiding her just went out the window._ He thought.

"Flandre! We have guests watching. Get off me!" Remilia said as she tried to fight off her sister.

Flandre pouted and obeyed her sister, while Remilia got up and dusted herself off.

"I apologize for my sister. She can be a bit over active at times." Remilia said.

"It's okay." Maribel answered.

Flandre suddenly sniffed the air. "Onee-sama. Your guests smell nice. Very nice." All this being said with her fangs in full view.

Creepy statement is creepy.

Especially when you count in the fact that the person talking is a vampire. Our human trio started to reconsider ever coming here. Dutch phased in his glove under the table, just in case.

"Flandre!" Patchouli snapped."I taught you better than that. You will treat the guests with respect, you understand?"

Flandre, now facing the might of her sister and tutor, backed down. She closed her mouth and gave a sulky face.

Remilia grabbed her arm and took her out of the room. When they left the room, Patchouli gave our trio an apologetic smile. "My sincere apologies, I did not expect Remi's younger sister to come to our dinner. Her manners are not up to standard yet."

They could only nod in return. There really was no proper answer to Flandre's statement.

* * *

><p>After dinner<p>

SDM lounge

"I must say, Miss Scarlet, the food was exquisite." Dutch said as they gathered in the lounge after the dinner. Dutch sat on a chair across Remilia as the two faced the fireplace.

Remilia smiled. "You have to thank Sakuya. She did the cooking. She is the best."

Dutch nodded. "I assume from this arrangement that my companions and I will be staying the night here?" He asked.

"You assume right. Yukari has agreed to let you stay for the night and the night after as well. You will be escorted to your rooms later." Remilia answered as she looked at Dutch.

"I see." Dutch answered as he looked into the burning ember of the fireplace.

Remilia stared at him. "You're...not a normal outsider, aren't you?" She asked.

Dutch chuckled. "Are you a normal vampire?"

Remilia laughed at the answer. "Well played. But you are not the usual outsider that drops across the border. Your skills are a testament to that and since you came here, I noticed something else. Your blood, it doesn't smell like normal blood."

"Really, statements like that are very impolite. One could think that you are planning to attack." Dutch smiled.

Remilia shook her head, her face occupied by a thoughtful frown. "It smells different...there is a slight metallic tinge to it. It's very faint but it's there."

Dutch reached over and waved his hands in her face. "It's probably residual metal in my clothing. Before we got here, we had a very interesting journey." He said.

Remilia nodded and smiled again. "Don't do that again. Remember that I'm a vampire, Mr Dutch. Leaving your appendages in my face is tempting me."

"Sorry." Dutch laughed.

* * *

><p>SDM<p>

Voile Library

"Wow." Maribel said.

That pretty much was what could be said about the Voile Library. Standing over the whole library in a walkway; its massive size was displayed for all.

The whole library was the length of two football field. The bookcases stretched upwards, easily within the realm of 20 meters and from side to side, the bookcases could have fitted trucks.

It was all arranged in an orderly pattern. Straight lines crisscrossed the library in a cross like pattern, with a break in the center where the lines met. Occupying the center was a table, encircled by red velvet couches with elegantly designed wooden bases. The library was lit by what appeared to be pages that gave out a small amount of light. It had the library a gloomy feel.

"Koa!" Patchouli called.

From the maze of bookcases flew up her red-haired assistant. Wearing a black dress with white sleeves, Koakuma flew to the call of her mistress. Her wings, a pair on her back and another pair on her head, flapped as she flew up.

"Back from dinner, Patchouli-sama?" Koakuma asked.

Patchouli nodded. "Ladies, meet Koakuma, my assistant. If you have any question regarding the library or need assistance finding a particular book, fell free to ask for her help."

Koakuma smiled and flapped her wings.

"Now, I wish to ask several questions. Do you mind?" Patchouli asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Not at all." Maribel answered as she and Renko followed her.

"First things first, are you a magician?" Patchouli asked as they came to the center of the library.

"No, I'm not. I had this ability since I was born. It allows me to see boundaries and to perceive any changes. For example, I can tell the difference between clean water and poisoned water, even if they are colorless, due to my eyes picking up the changes in the boundaries. And please, our host shouldn't be so formal." Maribel explained.

Patchouli nodded. "I see. What about you, Renko? Do you have any abilities?"

"My ability also comes from my eyes. I can find out where and when I am currently aim by looking at the sky. It's not as useful as Mary's through." Renko answered.

Patchouli smiled. "Don't look down on your ability. It sounds very useful. One of the powerful youkai in this land has control over flowers and plants."

"That would be a sight; being defeated by flowers." Dutch said as he walked down the stairs.

Patchouli glanced at him. "I thought Remi was keeping you company."

"She retired to her room. I was directed here." Dutch answered.

Patchouli looked at him and smiled. "Dutch, meet my assistant Koakuma."

_This should be interesting._ She thought.

Dutch gave a small head bow and sat on one of the couches.

"Koa, can you serve our guests some tea?" Patchouli asked. Koakuma, realizing what her mistress was thinking, nodded and picked up a nearby teapot and three cups. She served Dutch first, making sure that she was as close to him as possible.

"Do you feel anything strange?" Patchouli asked.

_He should be a bumbling idiot from her presence._ She thought.

Dutch gave Patchouli a raised eyebrow. "Did you poison the dinner?" He answered, his voice not changed whatsoever.

Koakuma gave her mistress a secret look of disbelief behind her back. Patchouli managed to hide her own but she was also in disbelief.

"Nothing. Just a bad joke." She answered.

A fairy maid flew down the stairs. "The mistress wishes to inform the guest that their room are ready." She said.

Dutch nodded. "Well then, I'll be going."

Maribel and Renko followed him.

When the trio left the library, Koakuma burst out wailing. "Uuuwah! I can't even affect him with my presence. My honor as a succubus is broken."

Patchouli gently smiled. "There there. I don't think it's your fault."

Koa continued wailing.

* * *

><p>SDM<p>

Guest room

Holy shit. Dutch thought as he looked at his room.

Having stayed at his fair share of five star hotels, Dutch could say one thing, his room could be rated as one.

Right in front of the door was a king-sized canopy bed that took up half of the room. Through a door on his right, a bathroom could be seen with a hot tub. A table took up the rest of the room and a window with a view of the garden held the wall.

Taking off his clothes, he headed to the bathroom.

Boy was he glad he was out of that library. Koakuma's presence was affecting in a strange way. When she was near him, he had the strong urge to gravitate toward her, to listen to her every word. Thank god the training he gone through in the past trained him for this.

Lying on the bed, he looked up at the canopy. And closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Map room

The fins stopped flashing and Dutch was back in the vault.

Heading to the room where the girl was sleeping, he entered to see her still in her unconsious state. He left, not wanting to wake her just yet.

Walking to the interface, he sat down on a chair and just looked around, and yawned.

He was going to need a new way to enter the vault. This was playing hell with his sleeping.

Typing into the interface, Dutch decided to access the vault past setting and find out what he could obtain.

5 minutes later...

A dead cow…

_What the hell._ Dutch thought as he looked at the screen. Of all the things one could store in a pocket universe, why a dead cow. That simply did not make sense.

Shaking his head at the screen, Dutch went back to the main menu, and had an idea.

Typing into the keyboard, Dutch accessed his gun's magic conversion template.

This would take some time, and a lot of math.

After an hour or so of typing...

_Success!_ He internally yelled.

After an hour or so of modification and test firing; the non-lethal setting for his weapon was done. Dutch could now fight back without killing by accident.

_It feels great be finally be able to shoot back._ He thought.

"Now to finally get some sleep." Dutch said as he entered the platform and left the vault.

Back in the room, Dutch looked up at his ceiling and closed his eyes.

_Block vault access._ He thought before lapsing into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>SDM<p>

Hallway

Flandre sulked.

Her Onee-sama had given her a fine lecture and then taken her back to her room.

Luckily, she managed to cast four-of-a-kind when her sister was not looking and hide. Onee-sama had bought the clone back to her room without any clue at all.

She flew down the hallways, carefully avoiding the fairy maids. And then she caught a whiff.

A scent of blood. The smell was different through. There was something strange in the blood.

But it was blood and Flandre was a bit hungry. She followed the scent until it bought her to a door. As she was about to enter, a sound of footsteps made her fly up and press against the ceiling.

Sakuya passed under her without a single glance up.

Once Sakuya turned the corner, Flandre dropped and quietly turned the door.

* * *

><p>Dutch awoke.<p>

His eyes still closed, his mind sent him a feeling.

Some else was in the room.

His hand under the blanket, Dutch phased in his glove. The thick jet managing to hide the light.

Opening his eyes, Dutch looked up.

Flandre looked back.

"Hello, onii-san. You smell nice."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello, my readers. This is radioactive arbiter speaking. Why am I writing this segment? Because I decided after 11 chapters that I would do a self review of my work and ask my readers about it.<strong>

**First off, I would like to highlight a failure of storyline. In chapter 5, I wrote this.(Yukari continued,"It fuses itself to your soul and adapts itself to the form that it find most reflects it's owner. Don't be surprised if you get something that has the shape of a book or something even stranger. Once, an owner had the vault shaped as a pen.") However, if you read chapter 10, I also wrote this.(The device has never bonded with the soul of any impurity before. If I recall correctly Princess Toyohime,it is recorded that it's shape has never changed for any of the impurities that touched it.) Meaning that in two different chapter, I effectively went into completely opposite different directions. As you are reading this, I would be trying to fix the problem. What I am currently considering is information failure of the lunarians part, some parts of the information being lost in transition, as an explanation why. Or I could re-write certain parts.**

**Another part I would like to highlight, was my relatively slow pace that my story is going through. Compared to other stories, my story(in my view), is rather slow. Ten chapters and not even a spell card obtained yet! So I am asking you, my readers, for your advice. Should I:**  
><strong>a)Accelerate<strong>  
><strong>b)Proceed as normal<strong>  
><strong> c)God forbid... Go even slower<strong>

**The reason I wanted to go at such a pace initially relates to the storyline. Having read my fair share of touhou fanfic(Ajibh, the sukima series, for some), I wanted to show(in my view) what if you went through Gensokyou trying out the hospitality of the places in Gensokyou. I wanted to try out and see what happens when a journey through the lovely universe of touhou well, happens. The slow path seemed most suitable to such an idea.**

**There will be fighting. Touhou isn't touhou without that. But it won't be the main medium for first impressions. At least for non-antagonists.**

**The third part I would like to highlight was the way the story line is going. Right now, we are proceeding through the SDM arc. I have a few arcs planned out(not fleshed out, just planned), including a Makai arc, a lunar arc and an earth arc. Given my slow pacing, it is very likely that I might break the story into different fanfics altogether. Since you, the readers, are the ones actually reading this, I ask what is your opinion about the storyline.**

**Lastly, I would simply point out my shortcomings. Firstly, I have problems doing interaction with certain events. This chapter was a real slog to write but it was necessary. Another slog was the Hakurei part. I frankly had problems generating a way to proceed the story. And I again don't want fighting to be the main medium for first impressions. And from my proofreader, my Writing in certain areas could use some work. I agree.**

**Well, that's all of it. I apologize if you have read through my ramble, if you have any thoughts you can post them on the review section. Or Pm me.**

**This is radioactive arbiter, signing off.**

**~A big thanks to all who have read through this humble newbie author work~**


	12. Versus a engine'o'doom

Imagine the sound effect as you wish. Words are a horrible horrible medium to convey sound effects.

* * *

><p>SDM<br>Guest-room

As he stared at Flandre's red eyes, only one word went through Dutch's mind.

_Shit._

"Onii-san, do you break easily?" Flandre asked.

Dutch kept silent as he ran escape plans through his head. Crazy _time!_ He thought as he came up with a plan. His hand still under the bed sheet, he phased in one of the items that Yukari gapped for him. A flash-bang.

_O flashy, don't fail me now._ He thought as he pulled the pin.

"Onii-san, you smell tasty, you know? If I break you, can I get the tasty bits?" Flandre asked again as she summoned a wand. Its bendy shape and hearts on each end made it look more like a child's toy than a weapon.

_Hearts; how nice. Seeing that she wants mine._ Dutch thought.

Four Seconds.

"Your elder sister is going to make you regret it." Dutch answered.

Three seconds.

Flandre smiled. "Hehe. Onee-sama would just lock me up and leave me with Sakuya and Patchy. She never did anything more painful."

Dutch quickly looked around to get his bearing. And then he shut his eyes.

One.

_And here we go._ He thought. He threw off the blanket and threw the flash-bang in Flandre's face.

"Wha..." Flandre said as she looked to the blue object in her face.

**BANG!**

Dutch rolled off his bed. His ears ringing and his eyes blasted by the flash of light even through the closed eyelids, Dutch stumbled across the room. Using his mental map, he managed to find the door. He turned the knob and fell out onto the corridor.

Behind him, Flandre dropped off the canopy onto the bed. Having faced the full blast of the stun grenade, she screamed as her brain received constant pain from her ears and eyes. She started to shooting red danmaku everywhere, unable to aim with her senses. The bolts struck the canopy repeatedly until it caught fire.

_Have fun in there._ Dutch thought as he closed the door. He stumbled down the corridor, his senses recovering with each step. After 10 steps, he was back to normal.

Phasing out his M4 and still moving down the corridor, Dutch glanced back to the door. "That was relatively easy." He noted. And then the door exploded.

"Onii-san. That was not nice." Flandre said as she floated out of the smoke. Other than a singed skirt, she was unharmed.

"What about killing me?" Dutch answered.

Flandre simply rushed to him.

_Oh crap._ Dutch thought as he rounded the corner into a fairy maid.

"What?" She said as Dutch ran past her. Any other words were interrupted by Flandre smashing into her at high speed. Both flew into the walls. The fairy maid started to dissolve into energy streams. Flandre simply picked herself and flew after Dutch.

"Sorry!" Dutch said to the dead fairy as he kept running.

_Not the way I would spend my night_. He thought as he ran down the corridor. Checking behind, he could see that Flandre was steadily catching up.

"Onii-san, can you stop running? I'll make sure I won't break you. I just want the tasty bits." Flandre said as she got closer and closer.

_Screw this!_ Dutch though as he turned around and snapped up his rifle.

**BRAAK!**

The triple bolts of danmaku flew at Flandre face. Dutch caught a surprised look on her face before she raised her hands and the bolts struck. They detonated with the equivalent energy charge of a 5.56 lead bullet.

Flandre dropped her hand and smiled. "Onii-san, you know how to play danmaku." She looked at Dutch, who was now holding his M79 grenade launcher.

"Play this." Dutch answered before pulling the trigger. The grenade sailed across the air into Flandre. She grinned and raised her hands.

Wrong move.

The 40mm grenade detonated right in front of Flandre. It sent her flying back down the corridor right into the wall she just crashed into a while ago. Her staff chattered across the floor as she slid down.

And then she snapped.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ONII-SAN, YOU PLAY REALLY FUN. I'LL PLAY WITH YOU JUST AS FUN!" Flandre yelled as her wing crystals flared up along with her sanity. A myriad of rainbow colors lighted up the corridor.

Definitely not what I wanted. Dutch thought. He turned and ran down the corridor, taking a left at the next intersection.

Wait, I know this corridor. I think. He thought as he kept running, trusting his mental map of the mansion.

Taking another left, Dutch arrived at a pair of doors he went through just hours before. He quickly opened the doors and looked into the dinner room.

Surveying the large room, with its wide-open spaces and multiple pillars, Dutch had an idea.

_Perfect._ He thought.

* * *

><p>SDM<br>Library  
>At the same time<p>

Patchouli sighed.

The guests were definitely special. She thought as she looked at the notes she had written down.

A) They all have something notable. The females have magic abilities. In the outside world, that was rare enough. The odds that two person having magical abilities meeting was so infinitesimal that she had discarded any ideas about such an occurrence. And to think it would drop in into the SDM. She should really rethink about magic in the outside world.

B) Whoever the male is, he is definitely not a normal person by outsider standards. His words, his actions and his capabilities. They reminded her of vampire diplomats when they arrived at the SDM in the outside world to court Remilia. She smiled. They always underestimated her. It was funny to see them and their pompous ways Gungnir-ed out the windows.

But back to Dutch. His words were like a diplomat, designed to sound non-threatening. She remembered when Marisa and Reimu rampaged across the mansion during the scarlet mist incident. Their vocabulary definitely was not of the same standard of Dutch's. Also, one must note his physical abilities. To catch a knife in mid-throw requires reflexes of a kind that is rare even in Gensokyo. Maybe the reporter tengu could if she tried but other than her, no one else could probably do it. And finally the events with Koakuma. Having showed no signs to Koa's presence is surprising. Even male vampires had some reaction to the succubus presence. This indicates training of some sort or he is just immune. She is more willing to bet the first.

For that matter, it took her some time before she managed to calm Koa down. She would have to try some more drastic measures to get a reaction if she could.

C) Since Yukari allow them to go the SDM, it meant that she intends to let them stay in Gensokyo. Which means that they have caught her attention. Renko and Maribel was pretty obvious. Any outside human with magical abilities would be of noticeable value to her. Dutch, on the other hand, had no discernible magic. All he had was his skills, which while was impressive, that would be of little value since he can't fly. So the why for him was a bit harder to understand.

She could always put it down to Yukari being bored, but that would be too easy.

Sighing again, she looked at her notes. "Just what in you made her accept you?" She asked in frustration.

"I wonder as well." Remilia said, laying on one of the bookcases. Patchouli looked up. The vampire lay on her back, her wings spread out, looking at the ceiling.

"You spent time with him. What do you think?" Patchouli asked.

"Despite his denials, his blood definitely smells different from normal outsider blood. There is a slight metallic tinge to his blood. The closest thing that I can compare him to is a metal Tsukumogami." Remilia suggested.

"You don't think..." Patchouli asked, the question written all over her face.

"No." Remilia answered. "His blood confirms his human body and besides, a metal Tsukumogami would be impossible in the outside world. It would have been recycled or destroyed before it could ever reach the required time."

"So what do you think he is?" Patchouli questioned.

"Remember the vampire hunter that tried to trap and kill Flandre?" Remilia returned.

"How could I not? He tried to use animated bodies filled with magical liquified silver to trick Flandre into drinking them. Lucky enough I was there to stop her. That's what convinced her to follow your order to stay in her basement." Patchouli reminisced. "You're saying that he's might have liquid metal mixed with his blood?"

Remilia nodded. "That would explained the metallic tinge I smelled."

Patchouli opened her mouth but before any words could come out, an explosion echoed throughout the mansion.

Remilia sat up. "Please don't tell me that the Black-white decided to enter my mansion right now." She said with a growl.

Patchouli frowned. "No, Marisa would use a master spark, not an explosive."

Both of them looked at each other, the answer popping into their head in the exact same time.

"Flandre."

* * *

><p>SDM<p>

Flandre rounded the corner and looked down the corridor. "Onii-san, I found you." She said with an insane gleam in her eyes and her wing crystals flickering brightly.

Standing down the corridor, inside the room, at the other end of the long table, Dutch smiled. He adjusted the M93 Black Arrow 12.7mm Anti-material sniper rifle's bipod and aimed at the smiling insane vampire down the corridor.

Flandre grinned and flew towards him at high speed.

_But why did you choose the last one?_ He remembered Yukari asking him.

"Because it's pure awesome." He said before pulling the trigger.

**_BOOM!_**

Going by the template, the 12.7mm round has an insanely high amount of energy just by mass alone. But once you add in the speed, the energy level is just shoots up. However, the speed of the bullet was not fully converted as full conversion would result in explosion and death, some thing that Dutch's personal non-lethal template could not allow. So when the bolt of energy left the round, it was still traveling seriously fast. So fast, in fact, that when it left the gun, it was for all looks and purposes, a magic missile, leaving a trail of energy in its wake as it flew towards Flandre.

Flandre had only enough time to register the bullet before it smashed into her face and just plain blew up. With the amount of energy contained in the bullet, it was like a master spark point blank to her face. She flew back down the corridor and crashed through the wall, leaving a Flandre sized hole in it.

Dutch winced. Firing the M-93 always hurts, no matter how many times he did it. He operated the bolt action and the large shell casing popped out. It smoked as it rolled across the floor, leaving a trail of blackened carpet in it's wake. Dutch worked the bolt and another shell entered the chamber. He steadied the Rifle and aimed it at the hole, expecting Flandre to come out again.

He was not disappointed.

Flandre stumbled out of the hole, her clothing ripped on several places. Her pink mop cap was gone and also was the string holding her ponytail. The crystals on her wings flared repeatedly, complimenting the two bright red eyes that glared down the corridor. Her bendy staff leaked streams of power.

"Onii-san." She growled, emphasizing each syllable. "I want to break you and break you and break you." She summoned a spell card and called it.

_Taboo "Lävatein"_

Flandre's bendy staff started to light up until it was consumed by fire. The fire burned up the whole staff until only the portion Flandre was touching was left. The flames then started to move, molding it self into a blade like shape with the hilt held by Flandre hand. Finally the flames died and Dutch was looking at the large sword Lävatein.

The blade was large and had what appeared to be red crystal lining the centre of it. The hilt had two hearts on its left and right and the the portion that Flandre touched appeared to be made out of the same materials that made her wings.

Dutch tsked, aimed and fired again.

**_BOOM!_**

The bullet shot out of the Rifle again, leaving a trail of light behind it as it flashed onwards. But Flandre was expecting it.

She raised her sword just as the bullet was about to reach her and caught it with the tip of the sword. The bolt exploded.

Dutch worked the bolt action again and another shell popped off.

Flandre walked through the smoke, unscathed by the explosion.

_Once bitten..._The saying ran through Dutch head.

Dutch phased away the sniper rifle and phased in his M4. He stood ready, waiting for Flandre to attack.

Flandre grinned and flew down the corridor. Dutch fired repeatedly, sending clusters after cluster of triple shots at the enraged vampire. Flandre either blocked the shots with her shots or simply shrugged it off.

Smiling insanely, Flandre flew past the door threshold, her sword raised in preparation for a cleave. But that would have to wait, because when Flandre flew past the threshold, she entered the zone of two motion sensors.

Both of which were connected to claymores.

**Boom!**

The twin pair of anti-personal mines detonated, sending out a spray of energy pallets equivalent to the solid pallets that are actually supposed to be inside. The threshold was engulfed in smoke and Flandre was obscured from view.

Dutch stepped back from the smoke. Seeing how Flandre managed to walk off a 12.7mm bolt, a pair of claymores wouldn't knock her out.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Flandre screamed as she burst out of the smoke, her sword raised again to slice Dutch in half.

"Shit!" Dutch cursed. He phased away his M4 and phased in his diamond knife, all the while dashing towards Flandre. Flandre swung her blade and Dutch raised hie knife and blocked it.

**CLANG!**

Human and Vampire looked at each other on the other end of their blades. Both began pushing, using their strength against each other. Flandre, despite her small size, started pushing at a strength level that Dutch had trouble matching.

Lävatein slowly inched forward.

Dutch started to back away. Flandre echoed his movements, walking forward, all the while grinning manically.

Then the Vault flared.

Tendrils of energy came out of his glove and wrapped around his knife. The knife lid up, giving off a blackish glow.

"Heh, that's something new." Dutch said.

The knife started to vibrate, giving off a hum. As both Human and vampire looked at the blade, it lit up and exploded in a burst of energy. Both Dutch and Flandre was knocked back by the explosion, each flying to the other end of the room.

_Why does it always happen to me._Dutch thought as he slid down the wall. The knife, still intact, floated to him. It stayed there, awaiting it's holder touch.

Looking at the knife, Dutch had the most unexpected thing happen to him. Unexpected for him anyway.

_..._  
><em>Comparability assessment complete/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Converting to {Gensokyo magic standard}/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Spell card assessment complete/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Accessing material/_  
><em>...<em>

_What?_ Dutch questioned.

Flandre got up from her side of the wall. She took Lävatein and floated up. She started to swing it at Dutch, all the while shouting. The sword left bright flame danmaku in it's wake, which flew in random sprays across the room.

"ONII-SAN ONII-SAN ONII-SAN..."

_Now she's getting serious._ Dutch thought. Dodging the bright flame danmaku, Dutch phased in his M4 again and started firing at Flandre again.

**BRAAK! BRAAK! BRAAK!**

Flandre dodged the bolts and kept swinging her sword.

_Love sign "Master Spark"_

The blast of love blew open the double door at Dutch's end of the room and flew into Flandre. The vampire, for the third time in a night, was blasted back into a wall.

Dutch looked at the hole where the doors once was. Marisa walked through it, blowing on her glowing Mini-Hakkero, which was emitting smoke.

"What did I say about avoiding the younger sister ze." Marisa said, the moonlight highlighting her slender figure.

"It's a bit hard to avoid her when you wake up right below her." Dutch answered.

Marisa looked at the battlefield and whistled. "Damn. Flandre is seriously pissed and the room isn't even half destroyed? What did you do, talk her into a rage?"

Dutch chuckled. "I tend to be accurate with my shots."

Marisa grinned. "Well, time to show you how the experts do it ze."

Marisa mounted her broom, kicked off and flew towards Flandre.

Flandre, having received the blunt of the master spark, looked a sorry state. Her vest was completely burnt off and the sleeves of her shirt were gone. The crystals on her wings flickered erratically.

"NO NO NO! I JUST WANT THE TASTY ONII-SAN. WHY WHY WHY!" She screamed.

Dutch stepped back and picked up the floating knife.

_..._  
><em>Spell card material collated/_

_..._

_/Combining possibilities/_

_..._

_Combining?_ Dutch thought.

Marisa pulled out a spell card.

_Magic sign "Milky Way"_

The spell card that tormented Dutch just hour earlier now flew towards Flandre. The stars struck her repeatedly, their target too enraged to even try to dodge.

Flandre screamed and screamed and screamed. She started to use her power, destroying everything left and right.

"Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyuu!..." She screamed as correspondingly, everything she saw exploded.

"She's gone off the deep end!" Marisa shouted as she avoided a falling pillar that had it's lower portion blown up.

"I can see that!" Dutch answered.

"Don't let her look at you. Her power comes from destroying anything she sees." Marisa informed.

Flandre affixed her eyes on Dutch.

_Oh shit._ Dutch thought.

"Onii-san. Time. To. Break." Flandre growled.

_Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap..._ Dutch thought. He quickly looked around. No cover anywhere around him.

"No!" Marisa screamed.

"Kyuu!" Flandre said as she squeezed her fist.

"Gah!" Dutch breathed as he felt a pressure from inside him, pushing to break out. He grunted as his body received Flandre's power.

The vault started to glow, giving off a blue light. Dutch collapsed on the ground, whirring in pain.

"ONII-SAN SHOULD HAVE KYUUED! WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!" Flandre screamed.

The vault suddenly screeched. Marisa covered her ears as the glove flared brightly. Suddenly, it exploded.

Dutch was sent flying back through the open door onto the balcony on the third floor of the clock tower. Looking up at the night sky, he saw the full moon, shining brightly on him.

_The moon. Bloody hell._ He thought.

And he blacked out.

Marisa flew to Dutch and checked him.

"Still alive. Thank god." She said.

Standing up, she turned back to Flandre and palmed her Mini-Hakkero. He stared at Flandre with rage in her eyes.

But Dutch was not finished.

At the place where the vault had exploded, a red tendril floated in place. It suddenly twitched and aimed it self towards Flandre and shot off at high speed at her.

Flandre, her mind too gone to care, looked at the rapidly approaching tendril.  
>It moved in a sidewinding pattern, all the while getting closer to Flandre. She reached out to touch the tendril.<p>

It exploded in her face, destroying Flandre's entire body.

Marisa jumped away to avoid the blood shower.

And Remilia laughed.

"Unbelievable! To last so long against Flandre and actually survive. I am really impressed by his skills." She said as she flew down the corridor. Patchouli followed her, silent and carrying her usual book.

Marisa looked at the Scarlet queen of the night. "You were watching?" She said, her anger and disbelief written all over her face.

Remilia laughed. "Of course! Why did you think no one responded to the fight? I wanted to use this opportunity to observe Dutch and see what Yukari sees in him. I was not disappointed."

Maribel and Renko ran down the corridor to Dutch. "That was a dirty move, sealing up the corridor." Renko said to Patchouli while glaring at her.

The one-week magician shrugged. " Remi requested it. Besides, he was not in any real danger."

"Except when Flandre almost blew him up!" Marisa answered, her voice almost a yell.

"Okay, except that time."

Remila frowned. "Through it is surprising that Dutch managed to survive her power. Powerful mages have tried many to ways to survive Flandre's power and have all failed. Yet he managed to survive it. And even reflect her power back to her."

"That tendril was her power?" Patchouli asked with a surprised face.

"Yes. The explosion from the glove was not from Flandre power. It seems that Dutch managed to contain her power in a tendril. Although how, I have no idea." Remilia answered.

"Why don't you ask him when he wakes up? On a bed." Marisa growled, her hand inching to her Mini-Hakkero.

"Oh right." Remilia said and snapped her fingers. A pair of fairy maid appeared.

"Take Dutch to another guest room." Remilia commanded. The fairy maids nodded and gently carried Dutch up and floated down the corridor.

"What about your sister?" Maribel asked.

Remilia smiled. "You can't kill a vampire so easily. She will regenerate. And when she does, expect an apology." She said.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

Yukari closed the gap.

The fight was interesting, and very entertaining.

But she will have to impress to Remilia to never toy with Dutch's life ever again.

She wouldn't want to lose her magic bullet.

* * *

><p>And so ends the battle versus the secret of the SDM.<p>

Why i added Marisa? Cause i did not want to nerf Flandre and i did not see how Dutch could win.

RnR. It helps the next chapter.


	13. Inappropriate Dating Habits

"Youngling, wake up."

Dutch opened his eyes. He was floating above the vault, facing a blue orb.

"Vale?" Dutch asked as he looked at the blue ball of energy. It gave out light blue glow and had what appeared to be smaller orbs circling it.

"Hahahaha. No, I'm not the child of the vault. I'm something different from her. But you can say we are related." The orb answered, pulsating as it spoke with an amused tone.

"So who are you?" Dutch questioned.

"That will come in due course. Right now we have far important things to discuss; your future, for one." The orb said as it brushed aside his question.

"Explain." Dutch said, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"When Eirin told you about the lunar elite being notified, she neglected to add a last part. As far as the lunar elite knows, the vault has not changed every time it gain a new owner. This time, the lunar elite knows that the vault has changed for you. They will be in an uproar because the vault is a pure-made device." The orb explained.

"In truth, the device has changed for each time it gains a new owner. Although for you, it has changed to a rather surprisingly high degree. I never seen this much comparability before. It's like you are custom made..." The orb trailed off.

"How is this important?" Dutch continued.

"Ah, sorry. The device changes every time it gets a new owner because it adopts a form that suits its owner soul. It 'links' itself with its owner's soul. Since the lunar elite does not know that it changes every time, they will believe you are a anomaly and will try to purify you. Or evaluate you. Which will kill you. Either way, your future is pretty bleak."

"Any third option?"

"No. The first has a confirmed chance of you dying. The lunar elite will destroy anything that stands between them and you. Anything and everything." The orb warned.

"The second option includes you being brought to the moon for testing. The lunar elite will set tests that can and will kill you. Your death will be used as proof of the inferiority of the impurity. You can survive the tests but that is very unlikely."

"I can take it." Dutch answered, his voice nonchalant.

The orb chuckled. "You have shown to be capable of that." It spoke, an amused tone in its voice again.

"So what happens to me now?" Dutch asked.

"Anything. The lunar elite will send their emissaries to get you soon but before that, you are free to do whatever you want. I recommend traveling across this land. Its people are of the powerful kind. There is much to gain from here. I believe your last tangle has obtained you something useful. It almost killed you by the way. I had to release some energy, otherwise you would be a blood splatter on the wall." The orb spoke.

The orb started to lighten.

"Oh, I see the child is awakening soon. You should receive her. I believe she has taken quite a liking to you. You may be surprised." The orb spoke as it started to disappear.

Dutch started to float back down to the glass platform below.

"Just who are you?" He asked again.

"Heh. Like I said Youngling, that will come in due course." The orb answered before disappearing completely.

Dutch landed on the glass platform. The interface blinked and wording rolled down. The interface read the words as it rolled down in a monotone.  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Magical process compiled/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Type:Directed Explosive/_  
><em>Type:Missile/_  
><em>Type:Magical/_  
><em>Name:Scarlet strike/_  
><em>...<em>  
>"Scarlet strike?" Dutch said.<p>

He raised his arm with the glove and aimed it at the wall.

Fire. He thought. A scarlet tendril shot out of the glove and flew quickly in a sidewinder snake-like pattern. It struck the wall and it exploded.

_Boom!_

When the smoke dissipated, the wall had a small crater in it.

"A magical missile." Dutch said to himself as he smiled.  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Name:Scarlet strike/_  
><em>Test:sucessful/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Pending approval/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Classification approved/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Classifying to vault/_  
><em>...<em>  
><em>Ready for use/_  
><em>...<em>  
>"Oh, the guys will be jealous when they hear of this." Dutch said.<p>

Over the door to the sleeping girl, a blue light shined softly.

"Come on, time to meet her." A voice spoke, light and playful. It sounded like the orb.

Dutch walked to the door. Looking at the door, he sighed and opened it.

Inside, the girl was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes were a full-on blue and had a spark of youth in it. Her wings gave a gentle light, illuminating her crystalline feathers without blinding Dutch. Her hair flowed down as she moved sleepily in her sitting position.

"Vale, is that you?" Dutch asked, his voice hoping as the subjects of the earlier talk with the orb ran through his mind.

"Master?" The girl answered in Vale's voice. She focused her sleepy eyes on Dutch and brightened.

"Master. You're okay." She said, joy and relief in her voice.

"I think I should be saying that. You gave me quite a bit of worry. But you're okay, so that's fine." Dutch answered.

Vale floated up. "My apologies for worrying you Master." Vale said, her apology written all over her face.

Dutch raised his hands. "It's fine, it's fine. But can I ask; how did you get this form? The last time I saw you, you were a floating ball." Dutch asked.

"I'm not so sure as well Master. After I steered in front to protect you, everything turned black. When I woke up, I was looking at you. I'm sorry I can't provide you with any more information." Vale answered apologetically.

"It's okay. You're fine and that's what really matters. By the way, the Vault has changed quite a bit during your sleep and I think you will like it." Dutch said, just plain relieved that Vale is okay. He turned around and opened the door.

"M-Master?" Vale stuttered, nervousness laced through her voice.

"Yes?" Dutch asked as he turned around

Vale floated just centimeters right behind him, her face a deep blushing red and her wings fluttering. She reached out, grabbed Dutch's head, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

Dutch's eyes widened as their lips pressed together. Vale's wings flapped repeatedly as she pressed herself against her Master, her heart beating rapidly.

As Dutch tried to move, the glove let out a spark that channeled through his nerves and froze him in place. So he was stuck in his stunned pose as the vault entity continued her gentle assault on his mouth. She molded her soft lips to his shocked ones, gentle caressing them.

Finally, Vale released Dutch's head, still blushing madly. The glove sparked again and Dutch could move. He refreshed his highly confused and slightly giddy brain.

"And what was that for?" He asked the very red vault entity, trying to stop his blood from overloading his cheek veins.

"W-w-well, t-that was how my past owners showed their interest to people they l-l-l-liked. I t-thought it would be okay." Vale answered, her fingers touching each other and her wings flapping in embarrassment as she tried not to face her master.

"You need to rethink how you show your affection to other people. In this reality, that is the way to show Love, not like." Dutch answered as he tried to get her taste off his lips. She tasted really nice.

Vale blushed deeper.

He could imagine soooo many ways of proceeding from here. And her face was providing some useful material.

_No! Bad mind!_ He thought as he tried to clear the imagination part of his mind of Vale+physical related stuff. He mentally sprayed his head with bullets until everything was fine.

* * *

>In the peaceful world of Dutch's mind...<p>Throught process NO#1 ran as floating guns sprayed its fellow thought processes. Screams and pleas filled the air, all ended by a gunshot.<p>

"Why?" Thought process NO#1 screamed as it watched mental being after mental being get cut down.

And then a bullet cracked across the air into its skull. Thought process NO#1 died, it's blood joining thousand of other mental beings into a great big river.

The river flowed.

The killing continued.

* * *

>Reality...<p><em>Ah, better.<em> Dutch thought as his mind cleared.

"I'm sorry Master. I-I just thought it would be okay to show my l-like for you this way." Vale answered, her face redder that a tomato.

Dutch smiled. "Well, you know now that it's inappropriate. Anyway, I don't think I really deserve that. It was you after all that flew in front of me to protect me. Like a brave princess saving a hapless knight." He laughed at his own words.

"Well, it's the job of the assistance entity to protect the soul linked to the vault so I did what I had to do." Vale answered, her blush slowly fading.

"Doesn't make you any less brave. Come on, the vault has changed quite a bit since you were awake." Dutch as he guided Vale to the door.

*******  
>SDM<br>Voile Library  
>Noon<p>

"Good. Your ability was as effective as you described it." Patchouli said as she recorded down her thoughts into a book.

Maribel looked away from the table she was concentrating at, it's small top occupied by three vials of colorless liquid. Patchouli waved her arms and the colorless liquids all transform to various substances. One green, the other blue and the last a strange red that moved in its vial.

"Well, I have tried it ever since I was born so I have experience in using it." She said as she watched the red liquid move in its vial. It formed a really rude finger sign.

Patchouli tsked and shook the vial with the red liquid. In answer, it transformed into hand with a certain finger raised. She lifted up the bottle and lit a fire under it. It answered her thermal attack with a laughing face. Patchouli gave up trying to discipline the rogue sentient liquid and left it on the table. The liquid finished off with a nicely done troll face.

Maribel sweat dropped at the sight of the magician defeated by her creation.

"Ignore that. Even including your experience, the extent of your ability is impressive. Even minuscule changes in the substances were picked up. That indicates that your ability has developed to a high extent. That's both good and bad." Patchouli explained.

"Why?" Maribel asked. Having a well developed ability would appear to be all good.

"Well, magic abilities are very random. Never one the same as the other. But they at least have something similar. Abilities that are less developed before training tend to be more...malleable, if I say so myself. Abilities that are highly developed are, of course, less malleable to training. But that's where the similarities end. The amount of which your ability can develop is different per person. You could have reached the peak of your development or it may be just be the middle or even the start. There is no way to measure your development potential." Patchouli explained.

"The good is that since your development is high, your training on your core ability will be easier. The bad is that any new magic, such as spell cards, will be harder and longer for your reserves to adopt." The one week magician summarized.

Maribel nodded. Patchouli took a sip from the elaborately designed cup on the table. "Let's check on Renko, shall we?" She asked with a smile.

Maribel nodded. The two got up and left the library. Patchouli flew up while Maribel walked up the stairs. Looking with envy at the flying magician, Maribel wished, "I wish I could do that."

"Oh you can. With proper training, you will be flying like its natural." Patchouli said.

The duo walked and flew along the long corridors until they were at the dinner room. At the other end, Renko stood at the balcony, looking at the sky. With her was Koakuma, who was flying in the air, moving to different positions.

"Where am I now?" Koakuma asked.

"You are 256 degrees from my position, you changed your altitude by a matter of 5 feet and you moved a distance of 3 feet from your last location which was 196 degrees from my current position." Renko recited, her eyes affixed to the sky.

"Wow! You're really useful. If you can, can you help at the library? Your ability is really helpful. It can help me locate some books I just can't seem to find." Koakuma said.

"Koa, please don't give the guest job offers. It's just rude." Patchouli scolded as the library duo walked into the balcony.

"But Patchouli-sama, I really need help finding the tomes of anti-magic. They always cancel out my seeking spell." The devil wailed as she landed back onto the balcony.

"No, just no." The devil's master deadpanned.

Renko walked to her friend. "Mary! I'm a walking GPS. As in I always knew that I could pinpoint my position but now I can pinpoint where other stuff is as well!" Renko said as her face lit up with serious excitement.

Maribel could not help but be affected by her best friend's excitement. She returned Renko's smile. "That's so great!" She answered.

* * *

><p><p>

After a few minutes of excited conversation between our human duo and some Master-Familiar argument...

"So how did you managed to advance Renko's ability?" Patchouli asked her familiar as they sat at the table, elaborately bat motif designed cups filled with exquisite black tea set in front of them.

"Well, it wasn't that difficult. I used my seeking spell as a basic for Renko-san's advancement. The seeking spell was something I created to improve my efficiency after I was contracted by Patchouli-sama. I taught Renko-san the basics for the spell and she used it to improve her ability from there." Koakuma explained. She spotted a new set of bruises, the result of trying to use her succubus abilities on her Master.

"But when I used my ability, it was different from what you did. Your spell was a trail that showed where I could find it. Mine told me where I could it. Why are they different?" Renko asked.

"Because each person is different. They utilize their magic in different ways. With training you may use the same spell as Koa but since you were using only the basic components of the spell, your magic adapted and changed the spell in the one that fits you most." Patchouli explained.

"Wow. That's just awesome." Renko answered.

"Marisa Kirisame, you will put that guest down right now!"

What?

The four turned their head to the open lounge door where the shout as well as sounds of an approaching battle was channeled through. As one, they got up and walked out into the corridor, to see a rather funny scene.

Sakuya chased Marisa down the hallway towards they, throwing knifes that the ordinary magician. Marisa flew on her broomstick, standing surfboard style as she returned fire with her stars.

Under the broom, attached to it, was a hammock, swinging in tandem with every movement the broom made. And occupying the hammock was Dutch, sleeping through the whole fight. Amazingly, he was unhurt, even as silver knifes and stars flew over and around him.

"I can't, Sakuya. This dude got some really awesome stuff on him ze. I'll just borrow him for a while." Marisa answered, grinning.

"You will put him down this instant! He still resting from Flandre's fight!" Sakuya shouted back.

"Don't worry, I'll give him some TLC at my place daze."

_Fire sign "Agni Shine"_

"Gah!" Marisa yelped as she turned back in front to face Patchouli's spell card. The volley of flame danmaku flew towards her, accompanied by Koakuma red danmaku and Maribel's rainbow ones. Renko watched, smiling away.

Marisa expertly weaved through the flame spell card as well as the danmaku shots. Grinning like the witch that she is, She pulled her Mini-Hakkero out of her hat and pointed it behind her.

_"Blazing Star"_

**Whoosh!**

Everyone in the hallway jumped away in different directions to avoid the incoming broom rocket. Well for Sakuya's case, it was to avoid the rocket's exhaust. Marisa and her cargo blasted down the hallway, the force of their passage blowing doors open left and right.

The mansion occupants and its guests ran or flew down the hallway after the runaway broom rocket and its occupants, making extra care to stay along the sides, lest they touch the back blasting master spark.

The Master Spark stopped as abruptly as it started as its owner realized the folly of using a rocket inside a building with corridors. Right before she almost plastered herself and her cargo against the wall.

Marisa blew open the nearest set of doors, which just so happens to be the dinner room doors, and flew in.

"She's going to escape!" Koakuma cried out as she flew as fast as she could to the open doors. Behind her, Maribel and Renko panted as they tried to keep up. Patchouli was far behind them, her body unable to take the rigors of the chase.

Sakuya took out her lunar dial and clicked it. Her eyes turned blood red and she disappeared. Sound of battle came through the open dinner room doors.

The remaining trio ran/flew the doors to see the chief maid fighting to stop ordinary witch from reaching the other set of double and open freedom.

"Marisa, stop this madness! He's still resting." Sakuya pleaded as she tried to knock the witch off her broom with her knifes. The fact that the broom was attached to a sleeping person was not lost to her and she threw carefully.

"No can do! He has something good daze." Marisa answered.

"What *pant* do you mean?" Patchouli panted as she came through the door.

"Haven't you wondered why he can get guns out of nowhere Patchy? He's attached to something really useful ze. I wanna study it." Marisa laid out her motives even as she sprayed stars at Sakuya.

"That does not mean you can abduct anyone anyhow!" Sakuya shot back as she grazed the stars.

Marisa aimed her Mini-Hakkero at the Closed double doors and the chief maid standing in front of it.

_Love sign "Master Spark"_

Sakuya flew aside as the beam of love blew past her and through the doors, opening up sweet freedom to Marisa.

She stopped her Spark and flew through the door. Stopping in midair and standing up on her broom, she turned back to face the group chasing her with a triumphant smile.

"That was a nice fight, but I won ze. Let today be known as a day when you almost stopped Marisa kirisa...

**BOOM!**

The 12.7 bolt blasted out of the barrel and travelled the extremely short journey from metal barrel to cloth bloomers. It exploded upwards in a blast of energy.

Marisa was launched of her broom and up into the air.

Dutch, lying on the hammock with his Black Arrow, operated the bolt action and the shell popped out. "Right in the arse, as my friend would say it." He quipped before rolling of the floating broom onto the balcony.

He phased out his sniper rifle. Patchouli watched him and said. "You have some explaining to do."

"I do believe I do." He returned as Marisa landed in the garden with a thud and her bloomers smoking.

* * *

><p>And so end our first afternoon at the SDM.<p>

Thanks to sweebation for being proofreader and a great help all-round.

Expecting the kiss? Neither did i when i wrote this.

RNR. Please.


	14. Sudden transitions

Sweebation, as editor, is free to do whatever he feels to make this story better. Straight from the writer mouth.

* * *

><p>"...and we landed in Gensokyo. That's pretty much how we got here and how I got this device." Dutch finished.<p>

Patchouli smiled with pleasure. She was satisfied with Dutch's explanation. It was complete, and to the point. "A great tale. One for the books if I say so myself. But I have to ask. How exactly do you utilize this crystal?" The librarian asked while raising an eyebrow.

Dutch took a deep breath in. "Well, it has one primary purpose. The main function is that it can take objects or processes out of reality and permanently store them in another universe inside the crystal itself. After that, the options presented to me increases dramatically. I can combine the object with anything else in storage. I can also recreate anything stored in it as well. For example, I could classify or absorb a book and then recreate copies of the book again and again." He explained as the inhabitants of the mansion sat and listened with interest to his every word.

After a brief pause, Dutch continued as Remilia placed her elbow against the arm-rest of the chair she was sitting in, and rested her hand against her palm. "It also applies to magical processes as well, it seems. After the fight with Flandre, I seemed to have obtained a new attack spell. it's origins appear to be from her power and according to the vault, I got the ability when she tried to use her power on me."

Remilia sat up from where she had been leaning forward. "But that doesn't explain how you managed to survive her ability."

"That would be the Vault's doing." Yukari said while she rested her arms on a gap; in a similar way that Remilia was doing with her chair.

Our human trio simply turned to the youkai of boundaries without changing their expressions at all. They had been surprised too many times to even care anymore.

An akward silence graced the room after Yukari made her presence known, but this silence was interrupted by Remilia; who was seeking an explination. "Explain." The vampire mistress spoke, completely ignoring the fact that Yukari intruded into her abode without her permission. Many others already did so, and this wasn't the first time Yukari dropped by for an un-expected visit, so pursuing it would be useless.

Yukari chuckled. The gap hag simply dismissed her purple eyeball-filled rift, and slowly walked toward Remilia's large velvet arm-chair. "The Vault is as special as any magical artifact can be. Its origins lie on a celestial body that certain inhabitants of this mansion have actually went." Yukari described while gazing at a certain pouting vampire. Remilia narrowed her eyes and shot a dirty glare at Yukari. The defeat by the lunar princess was still fresh in her mind.

"It links itself to the most basic and yet most important component of a being, it's soul." Yukari began pacing around the pouting Scarlet Devil.

The head of the Yakumo household continued speaking. "That already makes it of special mention but there is more. When the Vault links itself with the owner's soul, a contract is created. The details of this contract is private to the owner, and certain individuals, me included, but there is one component that you can know. Any deadly magical attack on the owner can be absorbed by the Vault and be redirected back at the attacker. It however does not make him invincible since to absorb the attack, a portion of energy must be released by the vault."

Yukari continued around the large chair until she came around behind Remilia, and leaned against the throne's back-rest. "Higher amounts of energy in the attack will increase the portion of energy released and might kill the owner. An example was the fight with Flandre. When the Vault absorbed her power, it had to release some energy. That was the explosion you saw." Yukari explained as Remilia silently inter-twined her fingers, and waited to see if Yukari had anything more to say.

Remilia was about to reply, when all of a sudden, Yukari took a deep breath in, and continued. "However, basic magical attacks like lethal danmaku and physical attacks will not get absorbed by the Vault. And to actually absorb a lethal spell requires some good timing. Get it wrong and you will die. But the pay-off is good. The Vault will have that spell stored if you are sucessful in classifying the spell." Yukari continued. Patchouli was intrigued by what the gap hag had explained, and made a note to look into it further.

"Wow. No wonder Marisa wanted to keep him." Maribel said, the long explanation still running through her brain. Patchouli smiled. Like any other magician, the opportunity to study a new magic artifact is music to her ears. She could understand Marisa's crazy idea to keep him. It would have given her a valuable head start in the research.

Speaking of which, she turned around to check on the witch. Marisa lay on the couch, resting from Dutch's shot and the subsequent fall. For security, her Mini-Hakkero was separated from her and she was kept inside a bubble.

Patchouli turned her gaze back to Dutch, and spoke in a calm voice. "I can see why she would want to examine your glove. It's not something to be trifled with." Patchouli stated with her vast amount of wisdom dripping from her voice.

Yukari shifted her position, and walked back toward where she entered the room. "Which brings me to the reason for being here. I'll have to cut short Dutch's stay here. It seems that word of his arrival has spread to certain ears and some people want to meet him." Yukari said, her mouth covered by her trademark fan.

Remilia sat up from her slumping position, and frowned. "I see. Well, there isn't really much anything we can do to stop you, now can we? What about the others?" she asked.

Yukari kept her fan in front of her face, but did not seem to change her expression at all. "They will be staying for one more night as we agreed, after that, they will be meeting Dutch."

Remilia was silent. She didn't make a sound while pondering her options. She finally decided it was best not to argue with the gap youkai, and conceded. "Very well." She answered in a bored tone.

Patchouli kept a straight face at the proceedings, but mentally she was cursing at the opportunity to study a new form of magic disappearing right after she discovered it.

Yukari snapped her finger and a gap appeared under Dutch's feet. He didn't even look surprised as he dropped through a gap before even a word could be spoken. The gap troll waved good bye and jumped through the gap she had opened for Dutch. The gap in reality closed, but not before Yukari left a passing shot.

The atmosphere darkened as an ominous voice was heard. "Remilia, don't EVER toy with Dutch life ever again."

Remilia disappeared through another gap that opened in the seat of her throne. When the gap opened again, Remilia found herself impaled on the top of the SDM's clock tower, the full force of the sun glaring in her face. "YAAAGH!"

Dutch watched the scene and the subsequent screams through one of Yukari's troll hole- I mean, gaps. "Was that really necessary?" He asked as he floated in the in-between.

Yukari, with a cheesy grin plastered all over her face looked over at Dutch, and spoke while surpressing a giggle. "Absolutely." The smile was a true troll-face.

Her face then changed back to her normal kind, and then made a transition to a more serious expression. "Now with that aside, the time of which the lunar emissaries will arrive for you has been set: A month from now. Before that, you are free to do whatever you want,"

Dutch raised an eyebrow. And spoke in a deadpan voice. "I must question the time given. That seems too long given the ruckus that I apparently stirred up, don't you think?"

Yukari laughed as her face turned to a strange mixture of glee, and seriousness. "Fu-fu-fu-fu~! You're right. However, you have to take in account the fact that you are essentially talking about long-lived beings. Their sense of time is far different from ours. In their terms, a month would be like a day to them."

Dutch nodded in acknowledgement. "No wonder they never managed to recover the Vault. With such timing issues, sudden changes would easily wreck their plans and humans are prone to sudden changes." He said while crossing his arms.

Yukari nodded in agreement. "Which come to our second piece of news. It appears that your training has caught the attention of Gensokyo's press or what passes for it. The Tengu village has requested your presence. Exactly what for I have no idea." She spoke.

Dutch took a deep breath, then sighed. "I feel more like a diplomat every day. Before anything else, may I ask a question. Just now, you mentioned a contract. I was not notified of such a thing." He stated in a questioning tone.

The gap youkai smiled. "Ah~ Although you are the owner, the contract is something that can only be revealed to you when you are deemed ready. Back to the Tengu village. You will have Ran as support for you. She will be doing the diplomatic footwork. You just need to look pretty." Yukari said to the somewhat messy looking Dutch.

Dutch lowered his eyebrow, and his expression seemed to brighten up. "Anything I need to know about the Tengu?" Dutch asked plainly.

"The Tengu live on and below a mountain. There are 5 types of Tengu with a Tengu boss over them all. The first is the Dai Tengu, which are the management class. They are in theory the mountain managers, controlling and ensuring that civilian life goes on smoothly. The second is the Hanataka Tengu, the office worker type. They form the majority of the Tengu population and are generally hardworking youkai with a tendency to party. The next after that is the Yamabushi Tengu, the Scholar class. They are trusted with the literary works of the mountain and are also printers. The next is the Crow Tengu. They act as the mountain intelligence force and are scouts as well. The last is the White Wolf Tengu. They are the mountain defense force and guard the entrances and well as form the high guard." Yukari explained as Dutch listened carefully.

"Overlooking all of this is Lord Tenma, the Tengu Boss. But the Tengu class lines are not set. In times of crisis, the Hanataka Tengu can be called upon the back up the White Wolf Tengu. You can have a wolf as a Hanataka Tengu but you can't have a Hanataka as a White Wolf Tengu. Several White Wolf Tengu can fly but that is the domain of the Crow Tengu." Yukari continued explaining.

"I see." Dutch answered while nodding.

"Ran will handle the Tengu. You will just have to do whatever is thrown at you. And I'll be there... Just in case." Yukari finished. As Dutch closed his eyes, and nodded one final time

He opened his eyes back up, and un-crossed his arms. letting them hang limp at his sides. "Okay then. When do we start?" Dutch asked.

"Right now." Yukari answered as she opened a gap for Dutch.

Dutch dropped through the gap and landed on the ground, feet first. He wasn't sueprised by the sudden gap-opening as usual, and looked back up at Yukari. Who was waving from inside the gap as she closed it. The un-surprised outsider turned his gaze to Ran, who was standing beside him, and smiling.

"I trust you been filled in?" The Kitsune asked with a friendly expresion and tone of voice.

Dutch got up from the ground, and smirked as he brushed the dirt off his tattered clothes. "Yea. Let's get this over with." Dutch answered.

In front, a mountain towered over them. It seem to rise forever, reaching into the clouds. Judging from the looks, Dutch and Ran were at the Base. In front of them was a village that took up at least half the mountain. The walls of the village were wooden logs and watchtowers rose from them every 100 meters. Guards stood at the front gates, standing at attention.

As the duo walked closer, one of the guards called out to them. "State your intentions!" she practically yelled in a booming voice.

She wore a white long sleeved shirt with what appeared to white fluff balls in the front. Her skirt was black-red and she wore platform sandals that seemed impossible to stand in. Her hands held a large simitar and a small shield, both of which has a sign of a maple leaf on them. A pair of wolf ears jutted out of her white hair and in-between them was a red Tokin. Her red eyes watched the strangers approaching her with suspicion. Dutch could see that she was holding the simitar in a way that would be easy to attack with on short notice.

Ran held her hand to her chest while talking in a much more serious tone of voice. The past warmness in her voice was completely absent. "I am Ran Yakumo. With me is the human that Tengu Lord Tenma has requested to meet." Ran announced.

The simitar wielding tengu gestured to the now-opening gate, but didn't let her guard down. "Lord Tenma has been expecting you. I am to lead an escort for you to the palace." The Tengu answered.

The guards moved aside as the gate finished opening. As Dutch and Ran entered the village, the Tengu that spoke to them walked in front of the pair, and two of the gate guards followed behind them.

The gate closed with a bang as the five walked down the path. The Tengu village stood before them. Rows of Japanese style two story houses lined the road, its surface providing passage to Tengu traffic. Tengu moved in all directions, some disappearing into to side streets and others appearing from them. Down the street, what appeared to be bridge supports rose from the ground, their presence interrupting a black line in the ground that stretched from one end of the village to the next.

Dutch and Ran walked, their guard sticking close to them. Passing Tengu gave the group glances but they seem to be more interested in the Kitsune that the human. The crowd parted in front of the group and reformed behind them like water.

Nice place. A lot better that some cities I've been. Dutch thought as they approached the bridge.

Getting closer, the black line is shown to be a wide chasm, a calm river at it's bottom. Rocks jut out of the walls of the chasm at random and at the other end lay another wall. Unlike the earlier one, this wall was a proper defense barrier, made of a puzzle-like configuration of stone and wood. At the base, spiked logs stick out of the ground, preventing any one from getting close to the wall. From the base to the top, the walls were smooth, no discernible handhold for intruders to climb. Watchtowers rise above the walls every 50 meters.

The group crossed the bridge under the watchful eyes of the wall guards. At the gate, the guards stand aside and the gate opens for the five. Going under the wall, Dutch walked through the shade into the sunlight.

Now the full glory of the Tengu was presented.

Past the wall, the main Tengu village rose before them. Buildings of varying heights cover the mountainside, some of them having insignias displayed high on their walls. Towers rise out of the village where crow tengus take off on their duties and land to rest. And situated right into the mountainside was a large palace with a small tower on top.

Dutch and Ran entered the small city. The road they were on reached all the way to the castle. Judging from the amount of people on it, it was a highway of sorts. Multiple roads branched from the main one, heading off to other parts of the city.

As they walked, Dutch saw a varying number of people. There was a two horned Oni with red and blue ribbons on her horns, wearing a tattered singlet that had some unknown stain on it and purple skirt, drinking from a gourd while stumbling around.

Another was a blue-haired girl with pigtails. She wore a green skirt that had many stuff sticking out of it and a aquamarine backpack that also had stuff sticking out of it. She had a key hanging by the front of the backpack straps and was arguing with a black-haired Tengu. The girl wore a white blouse and a black short skirt. On her shoulder was a crow. It flapped it's wings to its perch's agitated movements, cawing in protest. Ran glanced at the Tengu and looked away, her face full of dislike.

They quickly approached the palace. Outside the building, another guard contingent stood at attention.

"State your purpose!" The leader called.

"I am Momiji Inubashiri, captain of the outer patrol guard. I bring with me the human that Lord Tenma has sent for and the representative of the Yakumo clan." The leader of the escort returned.

The guard stood aside, and the five entered the palace. Inside, the guard behind them stopped as Dutch, Ran and Momiji continued inside.

The palace interior was large, Wolf Motifs on the columns that reached up into the ceiling. A closer look showed cleverly painted walkways in the ceiling, using a combination of drab wood and bright colors to disappear against the ceiling.

The trio went deeper into the palace complex. White wolf guards eyed the Non-Tengu, as their bodies tensed up in reaction to the streams of power leaking from Ran's clothes. They paid no attention to the human following behind the nine-tailed fox.

Dutch smiled. Ignorance suited him.

After pasting an entire palace worth of guards and defenses, the trio finally came to a door. Elaborately made, with a hodgepodge of insignias such as Maple leafs, stood the door to Lord Tenma's Chamber. The door was huge. In fact, Dutch was sure it was at least 7 times his height.

The two guards nodded and opened the doors. With a groan, the doors spread wide open and the trio entered. The footsteps of their shoes echoed throughout the whole chamber.

The huge room had a sword rack, laden with blades, and at the other end of the room, a pair of maple-leaf shields- much like the one Momiji had- hung on the wall next to a well-used looking chair. Water flowed down a rock stream from one of the wall to the left of the group,and green moss bordered its edge. It curved across the wooden floor and disappeared into another wall. The room was extremely tall, and Dutch could only just barely see the ceiling.

Sitting on the chair, sat who Dutch could only assume was Lord Tenma. His face was composed, the result of eons of experience dealing with underlings. His own shirt was green and gold, giving him a more regal look. His eyes shone with the look of one that has done so much and knows there is so much more to do, and much more to learn.

"Lord Tenma! I brought the Human you requested." Momiji announced as she went on her knees. Dutch and Ran looked at each other, and followed her actions.

"Wonderful. I have been waiting to meet him. Step forward, Dutch-san." Tenma spoke as her voice echoed throughout the chamber, much like their footsteps had before.

Dutch uneasily rose up and stepped forward.

Tenma smiled, and stood up from her worn throne. "Seems she was right. He really looks unremarkable."

Ran smiled, and looked at the Tengu boss in the eyes she was about to speak, but a distorted sound echoed through the chamber, and Yukari jumped out of it. She answered for Ran. "That's part of his charm. He's more likely to slip past patrols since they don't pay attention." Yukari spoke, while sitting on a chair the popped out of the gap along with her. and sipping a cup of tea.

Yukari's gap remained open, and The lord of all the Tengu spoke with a smirk. "Very well Yukari. We will put him to the test." Tenma returned.

Dutch frowned. He crossed his arms once gain, and spoke. His response could've been directed at either the Tengu lord, or the trolling gap youkai, bu it was probably both. "I apologize for speaking out of turn but please explain this test."

Yukari smiled, and her expression changed back to that smile she wore before. "Simple; you will attack the Tengu." She said, while Dutch's face hardened.

* * *

><p>Muahahahahaha. Dutch will never get a rest.<p>

Thats right folks. Dutch will be fighting again right after his encounter with Flandre. And in the next chapter, Yukari will come to a hard decision regarding Dutch and her beloved Gensokyo. A internet if you can guess it.

Super thanks to Sweebation for editing and making it wayyy better than what i did. During a busy time for him as well. You sir, You AWESOME!


	15. Undiplomatic Combat

**Well, then here chapter 15. i actually have a lot of fun writing this chapter. Despite the apparent lack of review except from my editor. Seriously guys, your words help.**

**Managed to get this done before the new year. Well, i babbled for too long.**

**One more thing. To facilitate easy reading, i decided to make thoughts highlighted by '.**

**For example,'DAMN he sucks.' Dutch thought.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Night<p>

Tengu village

Outside Tengu Guards Quarters

The White Wolf guard walked.

Tonight was like another night. Just another night of guard duty. The cold night air and the starry night sky. Winter was fast approaching and the night was a clear indication of it. Just like any other night.

But by dawn, it will be a totally different day.

Stepping on wooden battlements, crossing from one watchtower to the next, the White wolf Tengu hastened his footsteps. The faster he completed his rounds, the faster he can rest in the Warm barracks.

He entered the empty watch tower. Savoring the heat trapped inside its wooden interior, the White Wolf Tengu sheathed his sword and shield and leaned against the wall. Youkai or not, even he could not hold a sword and shield all night, especially in this cold one.

With his eyes closed, the Tengu picked up a small shuffle with his sensitive ears. He ignored it the sound, just dismissing it to a rat or a bird moving. No one in their right mind would dare attack the White Wolf Tengu quarters, it's like poking the hornets nest.

"Good night."

The Tengu jerked open his eyes lids. He looked up from the ground, and saw that a human was standing right in front of him. His brown hair, blue eyes and green fatigues somehow blended with the dark; leaving only the black Suppresser Equiped M9 barely visible in the nightlights.

'Ho...'The Tengu thought as the human grinned and pointed the weapon's barrel right at the surprised Tengu.

_*Palt!*_

Just as the wolf Tengu guard was about to reach for his sword; The 9mm non lethal bolt, just as black as the weapon that fired it, struck the White Wolf Tengu and knocked him out. He jerked back as his consicousness faded, and slid down the wall. The Human, who could be identified as Dutch Kotozaki, stood over the knocked out guard with a serious expression.

Dutch checked his surroundings. It would be annoying if all the time he spent waiting in the dark would be wasted due to that one moment when he took out the guard. Making sure that the guard was alone, Dutch picked up the guard by his legs and dragged him into the dark. While covering the unconscious guard with some hay he found in the tower, Dutch took the shield on the ground as well and hid it in the hay.

With his concealment finished; Dutch crouched out of the tower, taking extra care to hide in the shadows casts by the battlements and eyes constantly scanning for guards.

Dutch sighed as he looked around. Just yesterday, he was fighting a one vampire army, and now he's taking on an actual army, and of course, who is to blame? 'Goddamn Yukari.' He thought.

Flashback...

"Simple. You will attack the Tengu."

'What?' Every person in the room not sitting had various expressions of disbelief on their face while Dutch simply hardened his face to the information.

Yukari held her parasol over her head; even though the twilight of the evening graced the land. "Specifically, the White Wolf Tengu." Yukari continued.

"Lord Tenma. Pardon my impudence but surely you cannot support such a venture." Momiji said with her ears lowered and hackles raised.

"But I do. Stay your anger, Captain Inubashiri." Tenma adopted a serious expression. "This matter concerns you as well and it requires a clear mind." Lord Tenma answered, none too insulted by his subordinate's actions.

Momiji looked down and breathed in deep, then sighed. When she looked up again, her posture was composed, but in her eyes there was a conflict going on.

Tenma kept her serious expression, but somehow maintained a warming look. "Thank you." Tenma acknowledged Momiji's compliance, then continued. "Very well, since this may sound shocking to you, I will explain why I have agreed to this venture with Yukamo." Lord Tenma said while gesturing to the seemingly carefree gap youkai.

"For centuries, there has been a peace between all of the Tengu. Each group puts the good of the village before themselves." Tenma suddenly looked down at the ground. "However, in recent times, the White Wolf Tengu have grown to be a lot more bold. They have started to disagree with the other Tengu, putting their ambition before the village." Tenma looked up from the ground, and with an even more serious expression. All the previously-present warmness in her voice vanished as she continued. "If left untreated, they may cause tension with our ranks. Captain Inubashiri, on the trust that your word is true, do you disagree with my words?" Lord Tenma asked with shadows covering her eyes.

"I do not." Momiji answered while seeming a little surprised at the Tengu lord's mood-swing. While her experience was of an outer patrol Captain, disconnected from the life of the village, even she could see the danger in Lord Tenma words.

Lord tenma smiled as the warm feeling returned to her voice. "Good, at least you understand. I was approached by Yukamo with a plan to calm down the White Wolf Tengu. The human will attack the White Wolfs from inside their quarters. The humiliation alone from such an attack will dampen the White Wolfs ambitions." Lord Tenma finished.

"I understand." Momiji answered.

"May I ask when, how and where this will be done?" Dutch asked, multiple scenarios running though his mind. Most of them ended badly.

"When will be tonight, and how? That's up to you. Use your imagination. Where? The quarters of the White Wolfs, an area connected directly to the village walls for ease of defense. You will be inserted directly into the village walls. How you proceed from there will be up to you." Yukari returned Dutch's question with a confusing answer. Dutch decided it was best not to question the gap troll any further, and just went along with the flow of things.

Instead of asking Yukari to clarify, he maintained his hardened expression, and looked directly at the gap youkai. "I will need several items for the attack." Dutch threw the conversation back to Yukari. He was just putting the finishing touches to a skeleton plan of attack in his head.

Yukari held her fan out and hid half her face as usual. "At your drop point, I left a gap. Just think what you need and it will give it to you." She responded in a cheerful tone.

Dutch sighed, and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, I'm going right now?" Dutch questioned, having experienced Yukari's tendency to drop him right into situations repeatedly.

Yukari put he fan away and winked at him. "Very perceptive." She lightly tapped him on the head, and Dutch dropped through a Gap...right into a Hay stack.

Spitting out the hay, Dutch looked around. He was inside a wooden tower, and from the view through the entrances, he could see the rooftops of the Tengu village.

'Watchtower. Village wall.' He concluded in his thoughts.

A piece of paper fluttered onto his head. Taking it off, he read the words on it:

For best results, you need to steal something from the top floor of headquarters of the White wolfs. Here's a map. Good luck.

Dutch sighed, and stuffed the paper into one of his pockets. "That's not how you end a briefing." He whispered.

The annoyed gunman settled in for the night, and awaited to make his next move.

Now...

Shaking his head at the unfairness of it all, Dutch crouched through the darkness. The darkness did not affect him, because one of the enhancements he got gave him perfect vision in low light conditions, and if there was no light? Well… infrared does not need light.

Hidden from sight, Dutch came upon a ladder on the side of the wall. He carefully mounted the ladder, and to avoid making any sound, he slowly climbed down to a lower floor. Once he was half way down, he heard a noise below him and froze.

Right underneath him, at the base of the ladder was another Wolf Tengu. Her body was against the wall, and her head angled backwards as she quietly napped. If she opened her eyes, she would see Dutch's body framed against the starry night sky.

"Oi Sagi-san! It's better to rest in your room." Another Wolf Tengu called out as he walked along the base of the wall.

The Wolf Tengu below Dutch got off the wall and glanced at the speaker and saluted. "I would agree, Hano-dono, except that the Captains have called for a night drill and they are taking anyone they find in the barracks."

Hano returned the salute and laughed. "I see. That makes us lucky that we are on night duty."

The two Tengu walked off, continuing their conversation as they rounded a corner. Dutch breathed a sigh of relief and climbed the rest of the way down. Once his feet touched the ground, he quickly dashed off into the shadows.

Hidden, he remembered what the map showed. If he was right, he was in the Barracks area, where the troops stayed. And according to the two Tengu, there was a night drill going on and anyone found in the barracks was pulled in.

Good news. Instead of crossing the alleyways, which was his original plan, he would use the barracks, and since it would be relatively empty; he would have a lesser chance of being spotted.

Dutch looked around, and bad news greeted him. There are a lot more guys awake and around the area.

Shrugging, he pulled his pistol from his holster and continued off. He turned to look up at the night sky as he entered the lion's den. He gazed up at the night sky, and he saw a shooting star. "Wish me luck." He whispered.

* * *

><p>Sky<p>

Over Tengu Village

The golem landed. It dis-engaged its lunar shroud and slid into the darkness.

It's objective. Locate the source of the signature and eliminate. All other threats, knock-out.

It flexed it's claws and wist-shooters. It's oval single-eyed head spun a full circle, testing it dexterity. Satisfied with its current status, the Golem's eye brightened in the darkness.

It moved through the darkness. Even with-out a soul, it craved. The only way to quench that craving was to kill.

It hunted.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

White Wolf Quarters

The Tengu sighed in comfort as she entered the barracks. The cold night air really made walking around with weapon and shield uncomfortable. Smiling contently at the heat, she left her weapon on the wall and sat down on her own bed.

Reaching for her shirt, she pulled it up.

*Plat!*

Dutch got up from the closet from where he was hiding. The Tengu was lying on her bed, her shirt half off. Dutch could clearly see her, ahem, well developed assets through her Sarashi from where she lay.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Dutch went for the door. Thank goodness that he shot her quickly, otherwise it would have gone from stealth mission to voyeur quest.

…Damn did those look good.

'Focus!' He thought as he slipped outside. Looking around, he noticed that he was at a four way crossroads...and the sound of marching was approaching. Very rapidly.

Quickly, Dutch returned back into the barracks, leaving a small crack in the door. The sound came closer and closer. Dutch peeked through the crack in the door. Outside, a column of White Wolfs marched past, their sword and shield held high. At the head of the column, a White Wolf with a Maple flag led the whole contingent, silent. In fact, the only sound Dutch could hear was the sound of marching feet. Not a single command was given as the group, like some organic creature, made a smooth left turn and disappeared down the road.

Waiting at the door for about a minute to be sure, Dutch exited the barracks to find himself was all alone. Standing at the side of the crossroads Dutch could see the headquarters of the White Wolf' Tengu guard from where he was.

"Headquarters. A big and obnoxious 'Target me' Sign." Dutch said to himself as he read the signs on the crossroads. If he went that same way as the column, he would reach the headquarters. But that path must take a back seat first. He got another path to take first.

Checking his surroundings, Dutch went down the path in front of him, running from shadow to shadow. A picture-perfect version of the map displayed clearly in his vision allowed him to find the closest alley. Moving quickly, Dutch travelled in-between buildings.

_"Craziest idea ever. Of all time."_

_"What? It makes perfect sense when you look at it. It will be a perfect distraction if we need it and if we don't, It will be a great calling card."_

_"It's still crazy."_

Dutch shook his head to clear the voices. No time to reminisce.

After a couple minutes of sneaking between buildings, Dutch came to his destination. A small warehouse, barrels stacked on top of each other on the outside. A pair of guards stood at the door, hardly a care in the world as they chatted.

Dutch smiled as he carefully aimed with his pistol. Taking his time, Dutch carefully sighted both the targets until he was confident he could shoot both within a second. Aiming, he pulled the trigger.

_Plat! Plat!_

The two bolts of black danmaku struck the bodies of the guards, hitting center mass. Both guards dropped onto the ground, their conversation halted.

Dutch ran to the entrance. Picking up one of the guards, he dragged the body across the road into the alley. His deed done, Dutch returned and dragged the other body as well.

When all traces of the guards were gone, Dutch went to the warehouse door and slowly opened it, his pistol held really. An empty warehouse answered him, no one inside, just rows after rows of stacked barrels along the walls to greet him.

Smiling at his good luck, Dutch entered and closed the door.

Outside, a sign over the warehouse spelt out it purpose. It read: Sake Storage.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

Inner Wall connected to White Wolf Quarters

Hunting with a one track programmed mind can have both it's strengths and drawbacks. The strength being mainly all other objects are ignored in the hunt. It allows for very easy to plot paths, any distractions becoming useless to them.

The drawback is that the paths usually become very straightforward. Right through any other obstacles. It's okay when you have a rock or a tree, you can easily sidestep them but when you have a FREAKING wall in the path, following the path becomes nonsensical.

The golem wondered with the small ghost of it's sentient mind what it's masters were thinking when they paved it's course, and promptly discarded it as it regarded the wall in front of it.

It jumped over the spikes and swiped with its claws at the wall. No success. The puzzle-like stone and wood configuration of wall yielded no purchase to the sharp metal claws of the golem. The claws bounced off the wall.

The golem was left in a situation where it was in midair with no handhold and sharp spikes that will kebab it right under it. Thinking quickly, the golem used it's legs and launched itself off the wall...right into the chasm.

If it could swear, it would probably alert every guard on the wall.

Flailing it's arms, the golem fell quickly towards the river in the chasm. Rapidly and constantly surveying the walls of the chasm for some kind of foot hold with machine throughness, the golem managed to spot a small handhold on the side of the chasm.

Reaching out with its claws, the golem managed to hook its claws onto the handhold. That gave it enough time to stab with it's other hand into the chasm wall, using it's wrist mounted gun to fire into the rock until a handhold was blasted out.

The golem hung there, body over the calm river flowing under it. Footsteps above it made it freeze and turn invisible. Above it, a White wolf Tengu stared curiously at the chasm, trying to locate the source of the strange sounds it heard. Her ears flicked around as they scanned for noises.

Luckily for the golem, the gentle flow of the river overpowered any sound it made so it was masked from the Tengu. Unable to find the source of the noise, the Tengu shrugged and walked away.

Doing the golem version of a sigh of relief, the golem disengaged it's camouflage and readied its powerful legs, gathering magical power in them until it was ready. Once it's audio sensors confirmed there was no sound of movement in close vicinity to it, it launched itself in a massive leap away from the walls.

At the other end, the golem stabbed it's feet into the walls and launched away upwards. It followed that routine, launching away from the walls until it reached the top.

At the edge of the chasm, still in midair, the golem swiped downwards with its feet at the edge. The extra boost pushed the golem even higher, allowing it to reach above the wall. In addition, the angle of the swipes allowed the golem to fly towards the wall. It flew high over the spikes and the wooden/stone battlements.

Once it was over the wall, the golem manipulated it's magic again, creating a small field of energy just above it's body surface. The Golem's body received a invisible burst of electricity as the energy field dissipated it's momentum. The energy discharge was enough to kill any human but the wielder was unaffected. The golem stopped in midair as if it had hit a wall and gravity took over. It landed on top of the wall, a small tap announcing it's breach of the Tengu defenses.

Like the human before it, the golem was undetected by the Tengu guards. It's dropped onto all fours, crawling to one of the watchtowers that dot the wall. Latching to the wooden tower, the golem climbed to the top. It stood over the tower, seeing the lights of the village.

Time to work.

The signature was heading to a large building that was very near to the golem. The building had a large court yard that was devoid of any being. It would wait for the signature there.

Attack plan set, the golem leaped off the tower.

* * *

><p>White Wolf Tengu Quarter<p>

Near Tengu village defense headquarters

Dutch looked at the large four story structure. It had a large maple leaf flag at its top, lighted by lanterns. Below it was a balcony. Below that was two stories worth of intricate design made to block view of the inside and cleverly placed defense posts that doubled as windbreakers. The ground actually sloped into a courtyard that was below ground level. The courtyard was surrounded by a wall that only allowed entrance through small doors only capable of fitting a single person.

All this was seen by Dutch through a second story barracks. In front of the headquarters was a parade square which was currently occupied by the night drilling White Wolf Tengus. They marched in clean columns, like a stream of water. It was hard to focus in one single column, each of them constantly moving either beside, behind or in front of each other.

It was interesting to watch but in a practical view?

It made entering the headquarters DAMN impossible.

Dutch watched the groups move. Now how was he going to get through that?

Behind him, a crow cawed.

Dutch turned to the bird, sitting calmly on a bed, it's black eyes giving him an inverted mirror image of himself.

A order from the parade square rang out. Dutch turned back to the grounds and watched as the column marched out of the square, down the road into the quarters.

Dutch watched as the last column passed him and turned down the road. He ran to the ground floor of the barracks and looked out the windows.

Empty, only light to occupy the square.

'Probably a trap.' Dutch thought as he surveyed the grounds. 'Ah well, you know what the experts say.' Dutch lept down from his hiding place. 'The best way to find a trap is to spring it.'

Dutch walked across the square, the dirt crunching under his feet. But nothing happened as he got nearer to the headquarters. At the door, Dutch looked around, unable to believe his good luck. He slipped through a door and closed it.

Inside, the courtyard sloped downwards before him. Dutch walked down the steps, his pistol ready. Just as he stepped onto the ground, a strange feeling swept over him.

'Master! You must leave!' Vale said to him in his mind.

'What do you mean?' Dutch thought back.

And then a black metallic object slammed into the ground in front of him.

It was similar to the statues that Dutch encountered in the cave. Like the vault guardians, it had a stocky body and claws for hands and feet. That was where the similarity ended. Unlike the vault guardians, which had a helmet head with wing-like protrusions, this one had a rectangular single eye head with crescents on both sides. On its arms were some kind of barrel. And finally, it was made of a blackish metal that fitted the darkness.

As Dutch looked, a series of messages popped up into his view.

_..._

_/Warning/_

_..._

_/New threat identified/_

_..._

_/Lunarian Assassin Drone/_

_/Equipment:Slasher Claws, Wist bolt shooters/_

_/Magic:Force manipulation field, purity vein./_

_/Threat level:Extremely dangerous/_

_/Recommended action:GTFO/_

_..._

'Assassin. Meh.' Dutch simply thought.

'Master! You need to get out of there!' Vale continued.

'Calm down. I faced worse odds before. I'll be fine.' Dutch answered.

Human and golem stared at each other. Both simply checking out the other. The golem clicked and blurred forward, claws swiping for Dutch's Head.

But it wasn't there.

Dutch bent backwards enough for the swipe to pass just over his head. Thinking fast, he brought his legs up and kicked the golem. It slid backwards,arms crossed in defense.

Dutch smiled as he fell backwards onto the ground of the courtyard. As he landed on his back, he was already bringing up his pistol, aiming and firing bolts of black danmaku repeatedly at the killer drone.

The golem leaped away from the bolts, leaping off the walls to avoid them. It clicked in a angry manner as it fired it's wist shooters, randomly aimed sprays of bright blue bolts hitting close to it's target..

Dutch got up quickly just as the golem made another leap toward him. Rolling out of another swipe, Dutch brought up his M9 and got off a couple of pointblank hits.

But the bolts stopped a few centimeters away from the metal body. They burst in a flash of black light, illuminating a transparent shield just above the body. The light faded and the shield disappeared. The golem clicked again as it jumped up onto the walls surrounding courtyard. It's black metal skin blended with the darkness and it disappeared.

'What the hell was that?' Dutch thought as he reloaded.

'Barrier shield. It's a standard equipment for drones.' A different voice from Vale answered.

'And who the hell are you?' Dutch asked, constantly turning and checking for the golem.

'Really now. We just chatted hours ago and you already forgotten me youngling.' The voice answered.

'You. Got a name?' Dutch returned.

'Hahaha. If you really feel the need to name me, just call me vault.' The voice said.

'So, vault. Explain to me how to beat this thing.' Dutch asked, a clack of wood making him spin around.

'The same way you have beaten all your adversities. Here's a tip through. It can create a field of energy to blend light, making it almost invisible to the naked eye. It's not perfect through, there is a blurring of the affected area when it is used. If you can spot it, your job becomes easier.' The voice finished.

'A cloaking device.' Dutch answered.

Clicking. Right above him.

Dutch rolled to the side as the golem slammed down onto where he just was. It snarled in its clicking way and swiped at him. Dutch twisted to avoid the slash and answered with bolts of black. Once again, the shield protected the golem.

As bolt after bolt impacted the golem, the shield glowed brighter and brighter with each shot. The golem, it's defense wilting, sprayed desperately at Dutch with its wist shooters.

Dutch coolly avoided the badly aimed shots and continued his assault on the assassin drone. The golem finally screeched and jumped up, instantly blending into the night sky.

'Not very brave, isn't it.' Dutch thought as he reloaded his pistol again.

'Ah, well, it's programming is an assassin type. It's not made to be brave.' Vault answered.

'It's also not very imaginative in its attacks. All straight out of the shadows kind. What kind of person programmed this things?' Dutch questioned.

'Lunarians.' Vault returned.

A spray of bright blue bolts from the darkness peppered the courtyard. Ditch rolled away to avoid a couple and scanned the rooftops. But the black metal golem managed to blend in and Dutch saw nothing.

A tap behind him made Dutch turn around but there was nothing there. Scanning the area, he carefully eyeballed the ground, trying to spot any blurring of the surface.

There.

Snapping up his M9, Dutch emptied his magazine. The bolts illuminated the assassin, it's body in a crouch in preparation for a leap. The drone, stuck in it position, did the most logical thing. It leaped towards its target.

Dutch twisted away from the drone, switching his pistol to his left hand and phasing in his diamond knife. The drone landed on the ground and moved to turn around.

Dutch took the initiative and stabbed with his knife. The steel coated diamond blade flew to its target. The golem, desperate, raised one of its arms in defense.

The blade pierced the already weakened barrier shield and penetrated the black metal armor.

The golem screeched in fury.

It jumped away from Dutch and climbed up the walls, visibly slower. Clicking in a pained manner, it reached for the knife with its other claw and ripped it out. The hurt golem threw the knife at Dutch and climbed up to the third floor balcony of the headquarters and disappeared inside.

Dutch snatched the flying blade before it hit him and phased it away.

'Now it's inside.' Dutch thought as he stared at the four story building lighted by it inside.

'That would make it easier, won't it?' Vault answered, it's voice a slight hint of taunting.

'Not really. Now it doesn't need to reach out to take off my head since its close quarters.' Dutch returned.

Dutch ran up to the building front doors. The pair of wooden sliding door shined with interior light. Dutch slowly slid away one half and entered, his pistol held in front.

The room was empty, lanterns the only thing that was not part of the building welcoming him. Dutch closed the door behind him as he scanned for the usual guards such an important building should have.

But it was as devoid of life as a septic tank.

Now really suspicious of the whole affair, Dutch made his way deeper into the building interior. He came onto a garden in the middle of the building. A small stream curved along the plants, supplying water to their roots. Herbs plants of different types peacefully co-existed together in the small plot of land in the middle of the building of was simple and yet entrancing at the same time.

Above the garden, a open space reached all the way to the roof. Dutch looked at the ceiling and sighed.

Something from the top, he remembered Yukari saying.

With a assassin running around inside the building, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Boundaries in between anything and everything<p>

Yukari watched as Dutch entered the building. His progress so far has been impressive. But the lunar drone was a worrying object that affects the situation both long and short term wise. If her memories were correct, sooner or later, she would have to interfere with the exercise.

The appearance of the drone meant that some of the lunarian elite disagree with the ruling. While she couldn't care less for the inhabitants of the moon, what it mean for her charge is a all too different matter.

It was the first jab by the elite at an object that would affect them. When it comes back that it failed, the Lunarians would send in stronger groups to kill him. Dutch aside, it would also mean that Gensokyo will experience incursions of the lunar kind at a rate that was many times the normal it has experienced during its few centuries or so of existence.

And if the Lunarians become willing to send assassins to hunt down a human that brought controversy among them, what is there to stop them if they start to send assassins to hunt down threats to them and their possible designs on Gensokyo other then themselves.

Nothing.

She hissed as she ran the possible outcomes through her head. Whatever happens, Gensokyo has a very high chance of losing out.

She will not let her handiwork come to nothing. Not after all she has done for it.

If only she had something that would distract them...

And then she smiled. She already did.

Looking at Dutch through her gaps as he traveling through the second floor of the headquarters, she came to her solution.

To save her beloved Gensokyo, she keep the Lunarians attention on Dutch by any means necessary. Even if at the cost of his life.

"I'm sorry, Gensokyo matters to me more." She whispered regretfully as she watched his progress.

* * *

><p>White wolf quarters<p>

Village defense headquarters

Top floor

Dutch wanted to get out of the building. Really wanted.

The lack of any guards within the headquarters was absolutely worrying. Such a large and important structure was guaranteed to have at the very least a small guard force for appearance.

But the building was dead. There were traces of activity here and there but no one was there at all. It was as if they were packed up and left in a hurry, everything left in their places as the occupants left.

Which could mean a large variety of situations, most of them bad.

At the top of the staircase to the last floor, Dutch was tempted to burn the wooden structure just to draw an reaction. Anything but this silence.

As his foot met the floor, that funny feeling that Dutch felt before came through him again.

'Hello again.' Dutch said as he dropped into an armed stance.

He walked up, slowly scanning for threats. As he walked, Dutch was met by...nothing. The room was empty and at the other end, the night sky peeked through a almost closed door.

'Now where are you?' Dutch thought and he surveyed the room.

Clicking. Right above him. So close he could feel the sound on his skin and hear air moving as it was displaced by a moving object.

Dutch dropped as the claw slashed across his back. His fast reaction stopped the claw from raking his back but it managed to contact the skin on the back of his neck. Pain surged across his nerves.

Dutch rolled away as the drone dropped from where it was hiding on the ceiling. He gingerly felt the back of his neck. Red stained his hand.

...

_/Warning/_

...

_/Slight penetration to surface carapace/_

...

'I really need to cancel that function.' Dutch noted as he confirmed the damage. It was a slight nick, enough to draw blood but as the saying goes, it only looks worse than it actually is.

Dutch stared at his opponent. The left arm of the golem leaked glowing misty green ichor that disappeared when it touch the ground. The golem actually looked exhausted as it clicked at the insolent human that managed to hurt it.

It leaped at Dutch, swinging it right arm with it's lethal claws. Dutch, instead of dodging the lethal appendages, answered the attack with his knife. The two melee weapons clashed together with a clang.

Both looked at each other. Dutch, held his knife with his right hand and his pistol with his left. Other than the slight nick on the back of his neck and the standard exhaustion from constant movement, he was fine. His opponent, the golem, right arm was still in fresh condition, the sharp claws with the wist shooter that hummed with power. It's left was held limp and it moved at the speed of a normal human, which was sluggish when compared to it's original speed. The claws hung limp but it's shooter was still humming with power.

It was at this condition that both stared at each other. Dutch grunted and the golem clicked.

The golem brought up it's other arm and fired with the wist shooter at Dutch's head. At the same time, Dutch fired with his pistol right at the Golem's body. Both jerked away from the shots and faced each other from their end of the room.

And then a White Wolf Tengu burst through a portion of the wall.

The three looked at each other in silence. The tengu, realizing the situation, shouted out loud.

"Now!"

A squad of white wolf tengu came in through the hole in the wall. Some had their trademark sword and shields in hand while others had bolts of danmaku ready at their fingertips, their sword and shield sheathed. And they all looked triumphant, as if they already captured the intruders.

"Put down your weapons!" The leader of the squad announced. Dutch and the golem faced the leader...and promptly ran for cover.

Smart choice.

The danmaku users cut lose with their shots. Dutch ducked behind a pillar as bolts peppered the area around him. Chairs, tables and parts of the pillar broke as the bolts struck the adjacent areas.

The golem jumped onto the ceiling, where it leaped constantly to avoid the danmaku sprays. Clicking, it blurred into almost invisibility, it's light field managing to blend in with the wooden ceiling. The tengu, having possessed exceptional hearing, fired at the sounds the golem made as it leaped closer to them.

A couple of sword wielding tengu peeled off to apprehend the human. They came in a line formation, sword and shield raised, ready to corner Dutch and take him out of commission.

Dutch glanced through all of them and attacked.

The tengu right in front of him was his first target. Feinting an strike, Dutch managed to draw the guard into a attack. He raised his scimitar and came in for the attack, rushing forward and breaking formation.

Dutch blocked the tengu scimitar with his knife. The guard eyes widened at the sight of the 9-inch blade blocking the far larger scimitar. His eyes stopped moving when a pair of shots from Dutch's pistol took him out of his surprise. He collapsed onto the ground.

Now Dutch had broken the formation and he took full advantage of it.

Firing with his pistol, Dutch managed to get another pair of shots at the side of a guard. She collapsed as well, her scimitar and shield chattering on the floor.

And then he charged.

Dodging a swing from a blade, Dutch swung the hilt of his knife. It met the head of another tengu with a sickening crack, causing instant knockout and a possible concussion.

His face a mix of cool indifference and excitement, Dutch moved on to the next.

On the golem side, it steadily approached the danmaku using tengu. The tengu could only pick out the sound of the leaps it made, meaning their shots hit only where the drone once was. Panic slowly rose among them as they see their shots hitting only empty wood.

Then the sounds stopped.

The tengu froze as they tried to hear for the intruder. Their ears flicked left and right.

A tap. In the middle of them.

The golem decloaked and struck. It swung it's clenched claws, knocking out a pair instantly. The rest of the tengu spread out from the golem , either firing their danmaku or charging in with their scimitars ready for a swing.

The golem ducked a pair of scimitars and punched with its claws. The would-be attackers took the hits to the torso and simply dropped. Another scimitar forced it to block with it's claws. The golem clicked mechanically as it clasped the blade with it's other claws and pushed back.

The sword rose up and the tengu struggled in the losing battle of strength. The golem kicked out with its legs and the tengu dropped on the ground. The last thing the guard saw was the feet of the drone landing on his head, sending him into unconsciousness.

The golem looked up at the tengus peppering it's barrier shield with mechanical contempt and launched itself at the attackers.

It continued in that way, both Dutch and the golem tearing apart the tengu guards. Since both Dutch and the golem were by themselves, they did not have to be careful with their attacks and they used that advantage to it's full potential. Both traded attacks with each other as they decimated the tengu guards.

For the tengu guards, they had to be careful with their attack for fear of friendly fire. Opportunities to attack were wasted as the guards had to ensure that they did not hit their comrades by accident. Their numbers proved to be a great disadvantage.

Soon, there were only two tengu guards left. They stood back to back with each other, their once triumphant face now occupied by fear masked by courage at the two intruders that managed knock out their entire squard.

Dutch and the golem lunged for the two. The guards jerked up and raised their shields.

The golem swiped at the shield of its opponent, it's other arm raised for defense. At the same time, the tengu answered with her scimitar. The claw clanged against the shield and the scimitar pinged against the claw. Both glared in their respective ways at each other.

The tengu facing Dutch braced herself for the attack, figuring that she would counter right afterwards. Instead, Dutch phased away his knife and reached out with his hand, managing to get his hand though her defense before she could react. Smiling, he reached for the closest body part.

The tengu yelped and blushed.

Dutch gave himself a embarrassed grin as he realized where he caught. Swinging with his arm, Dutch launched the tengu at the golem and the other tengu. The tengu crashed into the duo, knocking the three onto the ground.

Dutch aimed with his pistol equipped on his left hand. He fired repeatedly, peppering the pileup with black nonlethal bolts. The two tengu were taken out within the first few shots but the weakened barrier shield of the golem still managed to shrug off the bolts. The golem leaped up from where it was in the pileup onto its feet and leaped for Dutch.

Dutch phased in his knife into his right hand and avoided the leap of the golem. He fired his pistol at the golem. The golem spun its body around and met the shots with it's claws, dissipating the bolts without affecting the barrier shield.

The golem countered with a slash at close range. Dutch could only raised his arms to block the attack. The razor-sharp claws sliced through the cloth of the fatigues and took away the skin and some of the muscle underneath. Blood ran freely and stained the jungle green fatigues red and black.

Dutch snarled as he felt the metal rip away his flesh. But the pain was blocked by the enhanced painkillers that flooded his body and he felt no pain. That would come later.

Dutch jumped away as the drone continued its assault with a burst of bright blue bolts. A bolt managed to fly true and hit Dutch in the right leg.

Dutch gasped as the life-force in his leg was forcibly destroyed by the killer magic energies of the blue bolt, causing his nerves to deaden and ravaging them at the same time. As a result, his jump turned into a tumble. His knife remained in his grip but his M9 chattered across the floor.

...

_/Warning/_

...

_/Dangerous Damage to body/_

...

_/Full penetration to surface carapace/_

_/Magical damage to right leg/_

...

_/Motor functions damaged/_

...

Dutch tried to move his legs. While his left leg responded normally, his right leg answered with a deluge of pain. At the same time, it felt dead. He was presented with the funny sensation of having a leg that felt dead but gave pain at the same time. He grimaced. The pain-killers for the slash on his arm was starting to wear off as well.

...

_/Initiating restoration/_

...

The vault glove glowed with soothing blue light. Ditch blinked as feeling returned to his right leg. While the pain was still there, he now had at least a small amount of control over his leg.

The sound of metal meeting wood indicated that the golem was walking to Dutch. Dutch looked up to see the golem coming to him, the green ichor still dripping from its arms and it's movement definitely slower.

It clicked as it came right next to Dutch and pointed its wist shooters at the human. Clicking triumphantly, the drone powered it's wist shooter and the barrel hummed with power.

Not a chance.

Dutch launched himself from where he was on the ground onto the golem. Pain surged through his right leg as he knocked over the assassin. Both fell onto the floor, Dutch on top the golem.

Yelling, Dutch stabbed repeatedly at the golem. The steel-coated diamond blade penetrated the weakened barrier shield easily but bounced off the frontal armor of the drone. Undetered, Dutch stabbed again, repeated strikes making and deepening dents in the drone's armor.

The drone fought back as well, thrashing around in an attempt to shake off the human. It screeched as it felt its armor starting to break under Dutch's assault.

Dutch snarled, raised his knife high and sent it whistling down right onto the neck of the golem. The black metal armor, dented from the earlier strikes, finally caved in and the knife plunged into the golem interior parts. A spray of misty green ichor sprayed out and disappeared at it made contact with any solid surface, including Dutch. The golem froze and it's thrashing arms and legs dropped onto the floor.

Dutch took out his knife. Ichor coated the grey blade, green mist lifting off it. Then the knife and his vault glove glowed blue and Dutch watched as the vault reached with a tendril and absorbed the ichor coating the blade, leaving him with a clean knife.

Panting, Dutch got off the metal deadweight. His right leg still hurting, Dutch crawled to a pillar and leaned against it. He looked at the night sky revealed by the pair of doors that was destroyed during the fighting. It was a tapestry of stars, winking back at Dutch.

Hum...

Dutch looked around for the source of the sound. He came back to the dead golem. Lines of blue shone from beneath it's surface, like a network of blood vessel. It originated from a bright blue circle in the middle of it's torso and as Dutch watched, pulses of blue left the ball and travelled the lines.

'Youngling, I highly recommend that you leave right now.' Vault said to Dutch, a hint of warning in his voice.

'Let me guess. Blue lines equals bad?' Dutch returned as the ball released another set of pulses.

Hum...

'Remember the magical equipment on the drone? It's equiped with something called the purity vein. That is standard equipment for assassin drones and have always ensured that the drone gets the job done. In your terms, it makes the drone into a body bomb, the explosive in this case capable of completely annihilating everything in a 100m radius. There is no armor capable of withstanding the blast and the only way to survive is to get out of the blast radius.' Vault explained.

'A 100m? And how do you think I can get a 100m away with a wounded leg and 4 stories off the ground.' Dutch jokingly asked Vault.

'Right...'Vault answered, it's tone unsure.

Hum...

' Pretty much nothing we can do right now, so let's just sit back and relax.' Dutch finished as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

Hum...

'Youngling...'Vault said.

'Shush.' Dutch answered.

Hum...

Hum...

Silence...

Gap distortion sound...

"I don't think now's is the right time for resting." A taunting voice spoke. Yukari's.

"With my leg, I'm pretty much immobile. I rather be comfortable and stay still than move and have my leg punishing me. Not to mention that I won't be able to move pretty far." Dutch answered as he opened his eyes. Yukari leaned on her gap where the drone was and the drone was gone. Her face was covered with her fan and she had the air of a well-entertained audience.

"Ah but your mission is not completed. There is still much more for you."Yukari answered, anticipation written all over her face.

"And how do you expect for me to continue with my leg?" Dutch asked, indicating his right leg.

Yukari laughed."Have no worries. Just for now, I give you a one-up. You have gone through this test quite impressively and to end now would be a real shame."

The youkai of broken gap powers waved her hand. A gap opened and swallowed Dutch entire right leg. Dutch let out a breath of relief as he felt his leg return to normal. Inside the gap, the border of healing, time and other factors were bended to Yukari's will, accelerating the rejuvenation of Dutch leg until it was back to gap disappeared and Dutch moved his right leg.

"Better." Dutch simply answered as he experimentally used his legs to stand up. The leg responded without any problem whatsoever.

Dutch walked to where he dropped his pistol and picked it up. Cocking the pistol, he phased away the sidearm. Dutch turned behind to see Yukari gone and a note fluttering onto the floor.

Dutch walked to the note and picked it up. With a bit of anticipation, he read the note.

Once you taken the item you need, you will have to bring it to the tengu palace and present it to lord Tenma. Alternatively, you could let yourself get captured. You already have done your job. But that wouldn't be fun.

Dutch balled up the piece of paper and threw it away.

"And how will I get to there?" He asked to no one in particular.

One thing at a time.

Dutch walked to the balcony and looked out at the entire white wolf quarters. Fire torches provided small pinpricks of light in the darkness. A glint of light at the edge of his eye caught his attention.

It was a small green seal, with the insignia of a maple leaf on it. On top of the seal was a plaque that said, "Seal of the high commander." It was surrounded by a glass barrier on top of a bronze pedestal.

'Looks important.' Dutch thought as he reached out a touched the glass barrier. Nothing happened and Dutch gripped the barrier and lifted it. The seal shone back at him.

Without out a thought, Dutch grabbed the seal, lifted it and tucked it in his pocket.

The pressure plate below the seal rose up.

From the top of the tower, a column of flame rose into the night sky, lighting up the tower. The sound of marching rose rapidly.

"Shit." Dutch cursed in frustration.

A shout from behind Dutch made him turn and run back to the centre of the floor with the open space. Looking over the edge, Dutch saw white wolf tengu coming out of hidden doors in the walls, their weapons at the ready.

"A trap! I guessed right." Dutch said to himself as he watched the tengu guards gather in a group and head up the stairs in perfect formation.

A flap of wings behind him made him turn around. There, a trio of crow tengu landed on the balcony. Like the Wolf tengu guards, they were armed with melee weapons, this time it being a Wakizashi. Their wings folded as they touched the floor and on the shoulder of the middle crow tengu was a crow, perched obediently like a pet. The same crow that cawed at Dutch earlier at the barracks.

Dutch gave an impressed smile as he figured out why the Tengu guard knew where he was. He never would've guessed that they were using crows as guards.

The triumphant looks on the crow tengu died as they regarded the floor littered with unconscious tengu guards and the lone human standing among them. Various thought crossed their minds. Such as, 'Oh Kanako, I should have brought more backup.' and 'Why couldn't the White Wolfs be able to fly.'

Dutch regarded the tengu coolly. He had concluded that this small group was sent in to keep him busy until the guards managed to reach the top. He needed to bring them down fast otherwise they would have accomplished their job.

Giving up all pretense of stealth, Dutch phased away his knife and phased in his carbine. He sighted with the M4 and pulled the trigger.

_Brakkk!_

The loud bark of the M4 echoed throughout the parade square. If anyone was doubting the presence of intruders, they had their answer.

The triple bolts of danmaku travelled the short distance and took out the tengu standing in the middle. She jerked in accordance to the hits and collapsed onto the floor. Her crow lifted off its perch, cawing in protest.

The other two tengu looked like deers caught in a headlight. They were rookies, having gone through training but had never been in an actual battle, a result of the centuries of peace that the tengu village experienced. And with their leader taken out, they did not think to take the initiative.

Dutch punished their hesitation with a pair of bursts.

_Brakk! Brakk!_

Two more on the floor.

Shout from behind Dutch made him turn around. The tengu guards were at the second floor and reaching the third soon. He was almost out of time.

Dutch walked out to the balcony. Columns of White Wolf tengu faced the building, their faces staring defiantly at the human intruder. Above them, a group of crow tengu hovered in midair, holding position. The ease of which Dutch had taken out their comrades had broken their bravery.

Dutch tsked. With all those tengu watching, any attempt to escape the building through the exterior would be impossible.

Time to go to plan B.

* * *

><p>White Wolf Tengu village defense headquarter<p>

Third floor

Tengu guard squard

The tengus crossed the threshold for the third floor.

They had full confidence that the human intruder was done. Another victim of their defense plan.

It was simple in design. Crows would spot any intruder and alert the White Wolfs. They would then let the intruder enter the headquarters and let him take whatever he wanted. Then when he had grabbed his objective, they would spring the trap, surrounding the building with guards and using the headquarters defenders, which were waiting in hidden rooms, to apprehend the intruders.

The plan has proved to be very effective in past engagements. It certainly has done it again.

The squad ran up the staircase to the fourth floor, ear and eyes constantly scanning for threats. At the top, they came to a stop at the sight that greeted them.

The room was littered with tengu bodies. The slow movement of their chests showed that they were breathing but it was shocking to see so many tengu incapacitated by a single human.

The same human standing at the other end of the room, at the balcony. He held some kind of small box that had lights on it and there was some kind of large tube-like device with a large canister attached to it and a grappling hook sticking out of it.

"Surrender! You have no escape!" The squad leader shouted.

Dutch smiled and pressed a button on the detonater.

A distance away, at the sake warehouse, bags of Semtex stuck to barrels of sake. The detonaters on the bags beeped as they received their instructions. They did their job.

And a fireball lit up the tengu village.

_BOOM!BOOM! BOOM!_

The packs of Semtex detonated, sending fire, vaporized sake and wood splinters flying up into the sky. Every single person not expecting it turned their eyes to the fireball rising into the night sky. Which meant everyone except Dutch.

Dutch smiled as the guard squad shifted attention to the cloud of fire rising into the night sky. His finger found a second button on the transmitter and depressed it.

The four command linked claymores that the four ends of the room received their instructions and detonated, each sending 500 pallets of danmaku flying out in a scything cone. The tengu guards were either blasted back by the pallets or just plain dropped ontop the floor.

Dutch phased away the transmitter and picked up the Plumett AL-52 grappling hook gun and aimed it at the second story barracks he occupied earlier. Correcting his aim just a bit, Dutch pressed the trigger.

The black grappling hook soared through the air, rope trailing it as it crossed over the parade square. Both the Wolf tengus and the crows tengu were mesmerized by the ball of fire lighting up the village and did not notice the hook crossing the sky.

The hook sailed right through the open window of the barracks. Dutch immediately pulled back on the gun and the hook slid back and caught on the window sill. Dutch tugged the rope to check the strength. It held.

Smiling, Dutch phased in a carabiner, slid said carabiner onto the rope, grabbed onto it and jumped over the railing. But not before flipping the crow that watched him the bird.

He slid down the rope with increasing length, picking up speed the longer he went. As he whooshed across the sky, a crow tengu spotted him. The tengu opened his mouth to shout out.

At the same time, the vaporized sake, transformed into gasous form by the Semtex and blown into the open air, mixed with the oxygen to form a potent mix. When saturation was complete, it was ignited by the myriad of burning materials in the air with the force of a warehouse of explosives.

_VABOOM!_

The improvised fuel air bomb blasted outwards, sending shockwaves channeling through the air. The hovering crow tengu were blown back by the force of the blast. Dutch almost lost his grip as he was shook by the pressure wave.

But it managed to keep the attention of the majority of the guards away from him. The barracks was steadily getting closer and Dutch realized something.

The grappling hook was attached to the sill of the second floor window. To the sill of the window.

"Shit!" Dutch cursed as the wall steadily got closer.

_Whack!_

Dutch gritted his teeth as he slammed into the wall with a meaty smack. Pain flared all over his body. Still holding onto the carabiner, he reached out and climbed into the window.

"Well that's over." He said before picking himself off the ground and walking away.

Walking up to the door and leaning against it, Dutch slowly opened it and look outside. The street was screaming with life as White Wolf tengu ran to the burning building to try and prevent the fire from spreading.

Closing the door behind him, Dutch joined the flow, following the tengu as they bought buckets and other water carrying equipment along with them. Strangely enough, not a single one realized that he was a human.

At the intersection, Dutch slipped in a alley way. Calling up the map into his view, he plotted the path to the tengu palace. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he felt the seal.

Grinning like an idiot at the success of this endeavor, Dutch rejoined the crowd.

* * *

><p>Tengu palace<p>

Side guard entrance

Ran watched as the village awoke to combat the fire.

Hordes of youkai streamed out from alleyways, houses and everything in between to support the firefighting effort. Seeing that the majority of the village was made of wood, it was no wonder that they did.

The main street was a line of colors as the inhabitants of the village all headed to the White Wolf quarters. The fire was still going strong despite the efforts of the resident firefighting force.

Ran smiled. Dutch had accomplished his task wonderfully. The embarrassment from having to draw help from the other tengus would be sufficient enough to cool down their ambition.

On the subject of Dutch, Ran wondered where was he. Was he captured by the tengu? She had no way of contacting him and her mistress was keeping silent. All she showed Ran when asked was the satisfied grin of a entertained audience.

A flash of jungle green drew her eyes. Dutch was walking up to the side entrance, for all looks and purpose a casual traveler, nothing of mention to draw anything other than a glance. Except for the claw marks on his right arm. And the resultant blood stains.

"You did well." Ran said as she ran up to Dutch.

"Yea well it definitely wasn't easy." He answered as he grimaced. The pain from the wound on his arms was burning and the painkillers that his body dispensed earlier had worn off. He dug into his pocket with his arms and passed the seal to Ran.

"Get this to Lord Tenma. This should be sufficient embarrassment." Dutch said as Ran took the seal from his hands.

Ran looked at the seal and blinked. And blinked. And blinked again. "Did you blow up the quarters to add to their embarrassment as well?" She asked.

Dutch gave the Kitsune a quizzical look." No. The explosion was a distraction to get the guards attention." He told her.

Ran processed the information...and collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"What?" Dutch protested as the nine-tails laughed out loud to the heavens.

"Hahahahahaha*breathe*. The fire is already enough embarrassment for the tengus. To think it was just a distraction...Hahahahahaha!" Ran laughed.

"Oh god, she dying from laughter." Dutch said as he grinned. Ran's laughter was infectious and he let himself get swept among. The two entered the palace, Ran still laughing as the door closed behind them.

In the village, the flames burned brightly under the starry night sky.

* * *

><p><strong>And so end the chapter where i make the White Wolfs my butt monkey.<strong>

**When i first started, i had several idea of approaching this situation. One of them was to go Rambo, another was to blow up everything in sight. i finally settled for the stealth approach because i decided that if i went the first two routes, i wont be embarrassing the Tengu, i would be putting the fear of Dutch into them. That would be against how i want Gensokyo to view Dutch. I want Dutch to be a shadow force to be reckoned with but you won't see him coming. He will be in your base killing your doods before you even know !**

**Evil plans aside, i setting a challenge for you my, readers. Come up with the most diabolical and ass-ass-in way to attack Dutch. Please keep in mind that it was to be lunarianish. And ass-ass-in-ish. No impure weapons.(That means no Bio bombs or nuke em approach. Thats is the domain of us dishonorable impurities.)**

**Put it in the review or Pm me. If i like it, i use it and you get credit for it.**

**Also, i'm starting a poll on how Dutch should continue his journey. To be specific, a poll on should Dutch use a Real-World approach to Gensokyo or a more magical based approach. If you have read all my chapters, you would know that Dutch essentially uses real world weapons and equipment to counter magic or to overcome his lack of it. The poll is a question on if you want for Dutch to stay to his real world origins or adapt to the magical world around him.**

**As usual, Sweebation get a great big thanks as the editor and i sign off.**


	16. PostOperation

**I'm BACK!**

**Meh, wasn't really dead but still!**

**Ah well, School has started for me so da updates is be pretty erratic.**

**In other news, I doing zis without Sweebation support cos he's currently busy with his own stuff and I'll feel guilty to ask an awesome guy to help me when he is busy. Expect possible quality drop.**

* * *

><p>Overview<p>

The fire burned throughout the whole night.

When the mixture of sake and oxygen ignited, it created a overpressure wave that smashed its way through the air and simply disintegrated the wooden structures closest to it.

Luckily, the blast was a deflagration, not a detonation. In layman terms, the blast was not a powerful as it could have been.

That didn't stop it from leveling the surrounding buildings and sending the nearby crow tengu tumbling through the air as the shockwave pushed them like leaves. Even the tengu palace shook a bit from the blast.

The White Wolf tengus reaction was hilarious, to say to the least.

The guards arrayed in the headquarters parade square was quite a distance away from the sake warehouse. When it blew, a section of the fastest wolfs was ordered to rush to the warehouse to hold off the fire until more help could arrive. But somewhere, during the process of passing down the command, it was misinterpreted as SEND EVERYONE.

So the entire guards force were peeled off to fight the fire. While the manpower was well appreciated, they arrived with their weapons, not firefighting equipment, which made them worse than not being there. The columns of guards also clogged up the roads, delaying actual help from reaching the fire.

When the wolf night commander found out, they ordered the area to be cleared of personal. To be specific, the exact words of the commander was, "Well, clear them out!" Laughingly, the order was interpreted as to be cleared of all personal. So the surrounding area around the fire was cleared of everyone, including the firefighters as well.

It was just their luck that the city planners had ensured that the warehouse was not close to any other structures otherwise the entire quarters would have been one great fiery tribute to flammable buildings.

When the mistake was discovered, attempts were made to rectify the error and get the firefighters back to doing their jobs. But in the confusion, little could be done and the tengu night commander had to come to a hard decision.

He called in help from the other tengus.

The floodgates were opened and the entire village came out to support the firefighting effort.

At that point, the embarrassment could have ended for the White Wolfs. But traffic control into the White Wolf quarter was slipshod at best and chaos reigned. The roads were clogged with youkai as everyone went out to help. The fact that the link between the troops of the White Wolf and their top tier commanders was cut in the chaos didn't help either. Columns of leaderless Wolf tengus took up space on the roads as their mid tier commanders acted like headless chickens, unable to function without the help of their high level commanders.

Like wolfs in the wild, they need their leaders to work.

Finally, sick of the madness, the Dai tengu stepped in. They forcibly took control of the traffic management from the White Wolfs, who were all to happy to relinquish the responsibility to them. They got the columns of White Wolf guards to get off the roads and clearly marked out the pathways for the firefighters. Bucket brigades were formed and the resident kappas in the village were drafted as the water controllers. Soon, a uninterrupted flow of water were reaching the affected area and a proper firefighting effort began.

And what were the White Wolf commanders doing this whole time? They were busy trying to find out how did a human managed to enter the quarters and steal a highly important object, knock out the guards sent to apprehend him and evade the guards surrounding the headquarters. It was lucky that the commanders were relocated to a different headquarters as per the plan.

The loss of the commander's seal was not that important as a new seal could be crafted. But the fact that it was able to be stolen in the first place was more important.

A blame game started as various sides pointed fingers at each other as explaination for the event.

All the while, the fire raged.

* * *

><p>Dawn<p>

Tengu village

Palace

The leaders of the White Wolf tengus sat, arrayed out in front of lord Tenma.

Tenma looked at each of the commanders. Each sat in a composed way to the causal viewer but to the eye trained in tengu society, there was much to be seen. Subtly, each of the commanders posture spoke of hostility to his/her fellow commanders.

Tenma was disappointed by this behavior. Such individualistic behavior was not the mark of the White Wolfs. A pack does not have many members fighting for the same prize. They should be working together as a group.

Then Tenma offered herself a ironic smile as he remembered what the Alpha at the top does.

Perhaps using pack metaphors would be a bad idea. She might insult herself in the process.

"So what happened last night?" Lord Tenma asked her commanders.

"The village was attacked by a human. We believe that the human intended to decapitate the White Wolf tengu. It was by great courage and effort by the guards that he was held off and he escaped." One of the commanders answered.

Tenma gave herself a grim smile. The first statement and already trying to better themselves. From Dutch, he knew that every single one of the guards sent to apprehend him had a unhealthy dose of overconfidence.

"Very well, so the guards did their best. Why they failed is another matter that was out of their hands. What else have you learned?" Tenma continued.

"We believe that he blew up the sake warehouse in an attempt to set fire to the village." The next commander said.

Good attempt at an inference. When Dutch told Tenma that he blew up the sake warehouse as a distraction, she almost collapsed in laughter like the Kitsune. A tengu would never have thought of such an , this outsider's thinking is unorthodox. Practical but unorthodox.

"Ah yes, the fire. Why was the firefighting efforts managed so incompetently?" Tenma asked, making no attempt to mince her words.

The commanders reasons came out in a jumbled mess, each trying to explain why a simple firefighting attempt could be handled so poorly.

Tenma closed her eyes and thought to the past when the same commanders were great leaders in times of crisis. They had become too comfortable with the passage of time. Truly, one would lose their skills if left unattended.

As Tenma listerned to their babbling, she felt one thing that she never felt for a long time.

Shame. Shame that once great leaders could have fallen into such disarray and shame that she, as their leader, let it happen.

Opening her eyes, Tenma spoke.

"I ordered the attack."

* * *

><p>Tengu Village<p>

Non-tengu quarters

Guestroom

Dutch watched through the gap as the commanders all gave their stunned reactions. What a bunch of idiot leaders.

As he listened to Tenma launching into a explaination, he looked at the bandage in his arm. It's red stained cloth indicated the still bleeding slash on his arm. At least the pain had dulled into a slight burning. The sliding door opened and Ran stepped in with a new set of bandages.

"Oh dear, its still bleeding?" The nine-tails asked concernedly as she sat next to Dutch. Her laughter had abruptly stopped once she had saw how badly the drone had sliced through Dutch's arm.

Dutch nodded. "Yukari said that the black metal on the assassin golems was of a organic polymer made for lightweight defense and stealth. An side effect of it is that if it came in contact with blood, certain materials in the polymer would prevent the blood from clotting."

Ran carefully unrolled the bloody bandage on Dutch's arm. "I don't like that you have to risk your life. Can you at least try to be careful?" She asked Dutch, her concern plain.

Dutch smiled at the Kitsune. "Weren't the nine-tails of legend supposed to be fearsome harbingers of death and destructions?"

Ran pulled on Dutch's bandages. "OW!" Dutch cried out as the cloth rubbed against his wound. "Under mistress Yukari hand, I learned to win without having to kill. And when Chen came along, I guess you could say I lost the urge to take a life. Or see a life taken." Ran answered, her eyes reminiscing the past.

Dutch nodded. "Well, I'll try to be careful. If the situation allows it."

Ran finished unrolling the bandage. She balled up the bloody cloth and put it aside. The three slashes glistened with blood as the red fluid ran freely. She took a wet cloth she had brought along and dabbed in on the slashes. Dutch winced as the alcoholic smelling cloth touched his flesh.

The wound temporarily clear of fluid, Ran began bandaging up Dutch arm with the clean set of bandages.

"...need not fear the result of a hundred battles." Dutch whispered.

"What was that?" Ran asked Dutch as she concentrated on covering his wounds.

"An old quote from a general. If you know your enemies and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Right now, that quote worries me." Dutch said as he stared at his vault glove.

"Why?" Ran simply returned as she tied a knot on the bandage.

"Because as much as I know myself, I don't know the Lunarians. They could have living flame for all I know." Dutch answered.

Ran chuckled. "Please don't overestimate the inhabitants of the moon. Magic isn't an all powering force that can bend everything to the wielder's will. There are limitations as well, you know. But I agree with you. You should treat them with caution," Ran finished as she packed up her materials. "Take a rest. You haven't slept the whole day after all."

Dutch nodded as he lay on the bed he was sitting on. Ran smiled as she turned off the magic light and left the room.

Outside, her face turned feral as she remembered her last encounter with the Lunarians. One day, one way or another, she would make that princess pay for doing that to her mistress.

Inside the room, Dutch started up at the dark ceiling.

_..._

_/Secondary Data Override/_

_/50% Complete/_

_..._

_/Unlocking past memory/_

_..._

A shudder ran through Dutch.

He fell into a hole, the ceiling slowing disappearing away.

_Flashback..._

A dark library, it's only light provided by the raining night shining through the windows.

"Project Youkai would have been the cornerstone for the creation of the new world. A superior class of warriors to bring down the old and mould them into the new." The elderly man said, wheelchair connected to a life support machine, his back facing Dutch.

"It's operatives would be entrusted with great powers. The DNA systems would have made them superior in all aspects." The man continued. "Of them, only one prototype system adapted to it's user. You."

"Are you saying I was a experiment?" Dutch asked, looking out the window.

"I was to become a god. Ruling over all with the DNA powers to make me immortal and my soldiers to enforce my will." The man said, coughing when he finished his speech. "Alas the Project fell apart, destroyed by its very creations. A destruction spurred on by you."

Dutch continued to silently looked out the windows, his eyes gaining a blue glow.

"But your adaptation still held great significance. If only we had more time..." The man cried out, his voice hopeless. " And now my time grows short. Ironic, isn't it, for one who had the right to be a god to face his own mortality." The man finished, turning to Dutch.

Dutch looked back at the man, his eyes a full blown bright blue. "The right to be a god?" Dutch said back to the man.

He blurred towards the man and the barrel of a pistol smashed into the old man's lower jaw. The man gasped in pain.

"That right was never yours." Dutch hissed before pulling the trigger.

_Bang!_

The man jerked up and slumped against his wheelchair. The pistol lowered and returned to its proper place in its holster.

"The right to be a god? You? Arrogant even to the end." Dutch sneered. "Only one truly capable of being a god deserves that right."

_..._

_/Memory end/_

_..._

Dutch returned to the bed, lying down, staring at the ceiling.

"The right to be a god? Nobody should have that right." Dutch whispered.

He closed his eyes.

The lights stopped flashing and Dutch opened his eyes. And was promptly tackled by a overeager entity.

"Master! Why didn't you leave when I asked you to. You could have died!" Vale cried out as she squeezed Dutch torso. Dutch let out the air in his body as it got smaller from Vale's rather insane strength. "Can't...breathe." Dutch gasped out.

Vale quickly released her master. Dutch breathed in deep as he tried to feed his oxygen starved body with, well, oxygen. Having filled his lungs with the life giving substance, he gave a smile to his assistant.

"I lived, didn't I? That was the past." He answered. Vale looked at her master grinning face and sniffed. Her eyes teared up as she lightly sobbed.

'Warning!' Ran through Dutch head as he watched Vale. "What's wrong?" He asked as he watched without an idea on what to do.

"Why can't you be just another jerk for a master? Everytime I see you in danger, I feel helpless. It's just not fair!" Vale cried out. Dutch sweat dropped at her speech. He walked up to Vale and hugged her tight. Vale wrapped her hands around him and sobbed in his fatigues. Looking at her, Dutch came to a revelation.

'She must be watching as I fight. Feeling powerless as she watched me take on the tengu and drone." Dutch thought as he silently held Vale. 'But there's nothing I can do for her. She can't leave the vault and even if she could, she would put the both of us in far more danger.'

Bloody dilemmas.

Or is it? Dutch ran possibilities through his head. He will have to look into this.

They stood there until Vale's sobs subsided. Dutch felt Vale relax against him. "Better?" He asked as he looked down on the entity.

Vale's peaceful face answered him as she slowly let out a breath, eyes closed. 'She fell asleep.' Dutch mentally deadpanned. Looking at her, Dutch could not help but feel sometime he never felt for a long time.

Peace.

"Well, what did ya know. It took a cute girl crying herself to sleep against me to find it." Dutch said with a smile. He gently slipped his hands under Vale's wings, scooped the sleeping entity up into a princess carry and carefully carried her to the bedroom, making sure not to jerk her too much.

Dutch laid her on the bed and folded the blanket over her. Once the deed was done, Dutch sat down on a chair beside the bed, just looking at her.

What was her life like under her former masters? From the stories she shared with Dutch, he knew that the vault is not fussy with it's owners. From Men and women to kings and beggars to powerful magicans and powerless folk, the vault has at one point or another climbed to the highest points in society and dropped down to the darkest pits.

Dutch noticed that her stories tended to be happier when relating to her women masters. Hardly a surprise when one looked at the society standards for men at the time. Even now, some men are pigs.

Dutch also knew that this form of her was not the common one. Her orb form was the one used throughout her time. This human form was only seen by Dutch. Was it because of the blast from when the template was instated?

Or was it something else? Dutch suspected that something else was preventing any other form other than the simple orb from coming into existence. The belief of the owners perhaps? Science did not become the mainstream until the mid-19 centuries. Even now, there are still areas where beliefs act like a shackle to the person. Given Vale's wings, one could easily label her as a agent of the devil.

So many theories.

"Amazing child, don't you think?" A amused voice spoke.

Dutch turned around to see Vault floating behind him.

"You should know that ever since she adopted this form, she had to acquire some form of energy recharging to keep to this form. Sleeping has proven to be the most effective. On the same note, she hadn't slept ever since she woke up." Vault said.

"Why didn't you urge her to sleep?" Dutch asked. Vault, it's tone jovial, answered. " She does not know of my presence and I will be very grateful if you can help me keep it that way, youngling."

"What are you to her? Guardian perhaps? Or maybe a parent?" Dutch shot back. Vault laughed softy. "I believe in your terms I would be her roommate."

Dutch kept silent at the information. The vault chuckled. "Go on. You seem to have many question for me. Ask away."

"Why this form? Why only me?" Dutch asked.

Vault answered, it's tone of voice a mixture of pride and joy. "The vault is constantly evolving device, changing itself to suit its owners needs. What makes the owner makes the vault. Remember when I said that you were them most comparable person the vault has ever encountered?"

Dutch nodded. " I remember you trailing off at one point about it."

Vault continued. "Well comparability does not affect the normal functioning of the vault but instead it's appearance, both on the inside and out. More importantly, it affects how the assistant entity will treat the owner. The orb form was adopted as the best form for interfacing with the owner, after analysing the attitudes of the men and women that it came across. After all, imagine if one of her past owners were to see her in this human form. The religious would attempt to destroy her, the lustful would defile her. That was why the orb form was adopted as a standard."

Dutch leaned back on his chair. "Which brings me back to my original question. Why this form? Why only me?"

Vault glowed with pale light. "Because of two factors. The first is the comparability between you and the device. Out of all the owners, you have the highest level of comparability. The entity would change to a greater degree because of that. But her form, that changed when you added the template. You see, while the worldchanger function was installed, it was never used. That explosion would be the equivalent of a car backfiring as it started after a long time of non-usage. The entity sacrificed her form to save you. When she came back, she could have chosen the orb form again but instead, she chose the human form. Do you know why?"

Dutch shrugged.

"Because you gave her a name. By giving her a name, you gave her a spark of life. A soul. That was the second factor." Vault finished.

"So you are saying that simply by giving her a name, I made her a soul? Just like that?" Dutch returned, confusion reigning over his face.

"Well there are several things that needed to be there like a personality and other such whatnot. That was accumulated over time as the vault passed through owners. You simply added the final piece of the puzzle." Vault answered.

Dutch silently processed the information.

"But the gist of the matter is that you made her. You gave her a name and with that, she is a full-fledged living being, subject to emotions and instincts. In return, she appears to have bonded with you quite well. Quite amusing to watch her reactions to you." Vault finished, amusement in its voice.

Dutch grunted darkly as he remembered his close contact with Vale. The one involving lips.

"That will be enough questions for one day, don't you think? I do believe that you were going to sleep youngling. Take a rest here. When you wake up, you will be refreshed and still in here. Have a good sleep." Vault answered before disappearing.

Dutch stared at the spot that Vault once occupied. And yawned.

Perhaps he should really get some sleep.

But when Dutch looked around, he realized that the only actual proper sleeping is already occupied. And as tired as he was, he didn't want to share a bed with Vale. Deciding to search for any other resources, Dutch searched every corner of the room, opening up a closet in the wall.

Inside was a blanket and a pillow but no bed. Guess it's velvet carpet time then.

Dutch lay down on the floor and set his sleeping materials. Lying down on the carpet, looking at the ceiling and enjoying the slightly cold temperature, Dutch closed his eyes.

And promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Some time later<p>

Vale woke up.

When did she ever made it onto the bed? And who tucked in the blanket for her?

Her last memory was crying into Dutch fatigues and somehow falling asleep. Vale blushed as she realized that she fell asleep on Dutch. But he was just that comfortable.

A light snore brought her eyes down onto the floor. Beside the bed, Dutch slept peaceful. He took up only one half of a large pillow and again only half of a large blanket.

She looked at Dutch sleeping face with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. For a owner, he wasn't a jerk and he treated her with something other than violent behavior. He was a great owner, hands down.

As Vale examined Dutch features, she felt like sleeping a bit more. Giggling, she got of her bed and slipped under the blanket with Dutch, folding in her wings to make it smaller. Taking the other half of the pillow, she hugged Dutch so her forehead was against his chin, her body close to his.

In that position, Vale fell asleep, warm and comfortable, not bothered by the velvet carpeted floor and against the person her heart has made a special place for.

* * *

><p><strong>THAT'S IT. THE END OF CHAPTER. RWARRRRRRR!<strong>

**Whoo! thats 16 chapters! (16-1) divided by 6= 2.5.**

**6x2.5=9. See! EyE can do maths!**

**If anyone has a problems with zis chapter, TELL ME IN MY FACE OR A REVIEW OR A PM SO I CAN CRY IN A CORNER!**

**Sweebation, hope u okay with arrangement. U still awesome.**


	17. Relevant history

"Dutch? Dutch? Oh dear god, he's sleeping again." An exasperated female voice muttered.

_Smack!_

"Ow!"

"Wake up buttercup."

Dutch raised his hand half-heartedly at his assailant and gave him the finger. "I heard her the first time Aden."

Standing at the same height as Dutch, with shaggy blond bangs that fell over his deep brown eyes and possessing a smooth curved body structure covered by desert yellow fatigues, John "Aden" Darand grinned back at the insult. "Just making sure."

"Alright, you two. Jump's coming up and we only have a small window before the defenses find something wrong with us." A brunette with flaxen, shoulder length hair, sharp, emerald eyes, matched by patrician features and a streamlined memorable body.

Dutch sighed and stood up. "How much time do we have Nora?"

Casually checking a PDA lying on a table next to her the brunette glanced at Dutch before replying; "20 seconds from when the door opens. Accounting for the time it takes for the doors to actually open and close, we have about 8 seconds max to get off of this C-130 before the local defenses notice that this plane is displaying a rather larger radar signature than normal."

Dutch nodded at the information and picked up a parachute next to him. A black duffel bag, secured with metal links connected to the parachute. Beside both of the bags lay a battered helmet, the helmet had seen him through many such operations in the past it had become something of an old friend to him.

"What's inside?" Dutch asked as he donned the chute and the helmet. The straps clicked in place.

"Local weaponry. A 5.56 KH-2002 rifle and a PC-9 ZOAF aka the SIG Sauer 226. On the ground, we got a cache inland with a HS.50 rifle and a RPG 29 as well as more ammo for your rifles. Anything else, you gonna have to loot them." Nora answered as she strapped on her own chute.

"30 seconds!" A measured voice crackled over the intercom from the cockpit.

The trio walked calmly towards the back of the plane. Dutch looked at his partners grimly and asked, "Do we want to do this?"

"Absolutely." Nora returned. "Hell yes!" Aden shouted enthusiastically.

"We're right over the drop zone! Opening the doors now!" The pilot hollered.

A whirr precluded the opening of the plane's aged cargo doors. A great roaring of air drowned out the monotonous hum of the airfcraft's four monstrous engines as the worn cargo doors slowly moved out of their positions. As Dutch looked at the great blackness that stretched out before him, an altitude counter flickered on his helmet's heads up display.

3000 feet.

"Go!" The order crackled through a mini radio in the helmet and the trio ran out the door.

Immediately, a feeling of weightlessness overcame the group as they plummeted through the air.

2989 feet.

Dutch looked around. Nora had tucked her body into an arrowlike shape, gaining speed faster than her companions and leaving them behind. Aden on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying his weightlessness by doing tricks that would usually be impossible on the surface. Dutch simply took in the icy star studded sky above him.

2431 feet.

All was going as smoothly as a jump could go.

_BOOF!_

A blast, so loud that Dutch could hear it rip through the whistle of the wind rushing past him reverberating through the air.

The trio turned to see a portion of the starry night sky obscured by a black cloud. Another blast lit up the sky, leaving an inky black cloud blocking out the stars in its bright wake.

'Flak!' The trio thought. Of all the dangers that you could throw at an airborne attacker, flak would rank at the top. Warheads designed to fly close to aircraft and fill the air with shrapnel around them that would easily shred apart any human like paper. No body armor could stop shards capable of piercing metal like a hot knife through butter.

Dutch, Nora and Aden spread out instinctively, each flying off in different directions. The flak blasts gradually intensified and soon, the entire night sky was filled with blots of smoke and gouts of flame.

934 feet.

'Too fast!' Dutch screamed in his head as he fell straight down like a bullet. Soon he had to pull his chute and the flak would rip him to shreds.

Holding his position, Dutch let his body scream towards the ground at terminal velocity.

687 feet.

Almost there.

423 feet.

Dutch reached for his release cord, but hesitated.

251 feet.

Just a bit more.

120 feet

Dutch ripped the cord. The parachute blossomed outwards and upwards, the air resistance pulling its shape out into the iconic mushroom shape that characterized every parachute. The duffel bag, propelled by inertia, jerked on the chute and Dutch felt the harness tug at him. The duffel bag chose this moment to fly upwards, the result of energy dissipating.

The bag flew into his wires and the parachute tangled up.

Dutch's glide down to earth turned into a free fall. The earth appeared to be rushing to meet him like a long lost friend.

80 feet.

'OH CRAP! OH CRAP! OH CRAP!' Panicky curses formed a mantra as thoughts skittered through Dutch's mind. This had to be every paratrooper's worst nightmare.

20 feet.

Dutch crashed onto the sand-

-And he woke up.

Panting softly, his eyes flashed to the ceiling above him. Adrenaline coursed crazily through his body,

'It's over. In the past.' he thought as he slowed his breath. Once his body had calmed, he took stock of his surroundings.

Lying on the floor, check. Blanket on top check. Mysterious thing pressed against him that is really soft, check...what?

Dutch looked beside him to see Vale resting against him, her arms draped around him. Her translucent wings folded in and her rumpled dress and blouse all showing signs of being slept in.

'She's like a goddamn me magnet. A really cute and useful magnet.' Dutch thought as he smiled and stroked Vale's soft, silky hair. The being reacted to his touch by pressing closer to him.

'Female body structure..' Dutch mentally croaked as he felt her body against him. Every - single - part.

'Retreat!' Dutch thought as he carefully eased himself away from the sleeping entity. Once he was out of her hands, he draped the entirety of the blanket over Vale, making her look like a sort of cloth cocoon with her head sticking out.

Getting up, Dutch left the room and sat on a chair in the center of the map room. Looking at the interface, he just recycled everything that had happened to him since he entered Gensokyo and played it.

Magic.

Because of magic or more specifically, his lack of it, Dutch stood at a distinct disadvantage. The most important being he couldn't upgrade his capabilities.

In the short time he had been in Gensokyo, he has been shot, sliced, superlasered, sent from point to point via portal and not to forget, almost blown up into nothing. And to counter this experience, all he had and still has is a diamond knife, a pistol, carbine and an anti-material rifle. As well as the equipment that he had requested from Yukari.

Looking back, he had actually done pretty well.

But there would have to be upgrades.

Dutch was no fool. The Don't fix it if it's not broke strategy tends to ensure that your next opponent will outthink you in a battle. And if his myriad of experiences with magic had told him anything, it's that sooner or later, he's gonna pull the losing side.

Better have it and don't need it than need it and don't have it.

But how could he upgrade his guns?

While wrestling with this problem he remembered something and grinned to himself. Why limit yourself only to guns when you have magic stored for your convenience?

* * *

><p>Tengu Village<p>

Non-Tengu quarters

_*Insert reality distortion sound!*_

Renko and Maribel landed on the floor upside down.

"Oops! Sorry, I must have got the coordinates slightly wrong. Are you both okay?" Yukari asked through her gap in reality as our duo groaned as they tried unsuccessfully to untangle their legs.

_Click!_

Renko peeked through her upturned skirt. A crow cawed back at her.

"That was an awesome shot. Thanks for your contribution!" Someone blocked by the crow said.

The crow cawed again and took off. It's flight revealed a black haired tengu, wearing a white cotton blouse and black shirt. Her lustrous hair gleamed in the light and her face had the triumphant expression of a treasure hunter striking gold plastered all over it.

"Destroy those negatives. Please." Renko whimpered as she moved to a better sitting position.

The tengu smiled. "No can do. It's all in the good name of information."

A rainbow colored danmaku bolt whistled past the tengu, almost hitting the crow that was coming to land on her shoulder. It cawed in protest at the near miss.

"She said please." Maribel warned, her hand aimed at the tengu.

The tengu smiled and slipped out a leaf shaped fan with a flourish. She slashed the air before her gracefully and a groove appeared on the wooden floor between Renko and Maribel. It should be noted that the distance between the two of them could be measured in mere centimetres.

"As a journalist, I am obliged to protect my material. Secondly you almost hit my familiar. Do you really want to start a fight here?" The tengu murmured with a voice which seemed akin to the calm before a storm. Renko and Maribel stood up quickly, both of their faces set.

"Aya, destroy those negatives. Now." Yukari said through her gap.

The Crow sighed. She reached for her camera, opened its innards and took out a pair of negatives. She threw the negatives into the air and with a flick of her fan shreds floated down like confetti.

"Done." Aya answered, the pain of the task clear on her face. Those were perfect shots.

"Good. Seeing as the two of you are standing perfectly fine, I assume that the two of you are okay. Back to the topic. I left you close to where Dutch is. He's just down the corridor to the left at the intersection. He's been slightly damaged while he was separated from the two of you but Ran is with him. Goodbye." Yukari finished before closing the gap hole.

Renko and Maribel walked down the corridor, leaving Aya behind. She looked at their disappearing backs, cocking her head in thought for a second before following them."Wait up!" She called as she hurried after them.

Renko turned to the reporter warily. "Why are you following us?" She asked, slightly annoyed by the relentless tengu.

"The clean and honest Aya Shameimaru is at your service! Gensokyo's finest reporter/editor for the Bunbunmaru newspaper!" Aya answered.. She had just totally avoided the question. "You are outsiders, aren't you? New to Gensokyo?" She continued.

Renko sighed. "Well, relatively new is a better term. We have been here for a couple of days." As much as she would like to shoo the eager tengu away, she and Maribel were here for Dutch and she really didn't want to start something up.

"Wow! Can you share your experiences? The readers would like to know the view from the outside." Aya answered, her notebook out and flipped to a blank page.

"Maybe at a later time." Maribel stepped in, her voice final. Aya looked at the smiling face of the blonde, there was a saying that the one who could say no with a smile on their face is the fiercest one of all. Fearing an intervention from Yukari on the heels of whatever this blonde would do, she complied. Renko flashed a thank you smile to her best friend.

The trio turned at the intersection to see Ran leaving the room. The Kitsune turned to the trio and smiled. "Ah, you're here. He's inside." She walked past down the corridor, holding a container of blood stained bandages and red water. The smell of alcohol filled the air. She disappeared down the corridor.

Renko flashed a worried look to Maribel, one her friend returned. That definitely didn't look like slight damage to her. Judging from the color of bandages, that was a lot of blood. Just what had happened while he was gone?

The trio approached the door. As they got closer, voices drifted through the paper walls.

"...wasn't trying to hit her on purpose. If I did, I would have killed her." Dutch said.

"That's, like, totally awesome that you fought back without trying to hurt her. Man, this is a great scoop!" Another voice answered, jovially.

Aya gritted her teeth.

Renko slid open the door revealing Dutch, sitting up in bed, talking to another tengu. Like every other tengu, she had a Tokin, this time purple, which covered the top portion of her head flanked by a pair long, snaking pigtails. Her attire consisted of a white cotton shirt with a purple trim at the collars and a thin black tie with a black and purple checkered skirt. Below them, her legs were adorned with a pair of knee-high socks and red geta sandals. She also had a hand phone pouch, occupied by a yellow hand phone with a brush keychain.

Dutch looked up and brightened at his visitors. "That was fast. When Yukari told me you were coming, that was only half an hour ago. Did she gap you here?" Dutch asked, his right forearm protected by a bandage. The cloth, despite looking fresh, had already gained a slightly pink tinge.

"Yes she did. How did you.." Maribel trailed off as she pointed at the bandage. Dutch raised his right arm. "This? Oh many things happened." He answered.

Aya stared at the other tengu with distaste, who returned the favour equally.

"So you finally managed to find something before I did, you copycat." Aya said to her other, the tension between the two clearly rising. Her crow simply scanned the room.

Hatate grinned back. "And an interview too." She answered, a taunting note to her voice.

Aya sighed. "Alright, you win this one." Her withdrawal instantly defused the tension in the air. The three humans in the room relaxed.

"Exactly what sort of things?" Maribel asked Dutch once the atmosphere had been defused.

Dutch shrugged. "I'm not at liberty to say. But I can assure you that it's not life threatening." He answered.

'Well, with my capabilities, it should not be.' Dutch thought to himself snidely.

Renko looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ran slid the door open and entered.

"Dutch, Lord Tenma requests your presence." The Kitsune asked. Aya gave him a surprised look. What does Lord Tenma want with a human?

Renko and Maribel both had the same reaction. Yukari had briefed them on the society of the tengu and they knew Lord Tenma stood at the highest of the tengu society. Just what exactly had happened to Dutch that would warrant such a leader of the village meeting him.

Hatate smiled knowingly. After all, it was her spirit photography that caught Dutch's battle with that vengeful ghost. She could only report them to Lord Tenma as she should.

Dutch nodded. "Very well then. I shouldn't make such a higher up wait. Where is the meeting place?"

"Right here in this room." Lord Tenma said as she entered the Guestroom.

Aya and Hatate dropped to their knees in respect. Both displaying various signs of shock at Lord Tenma coming to meet a human, not the other way around. Renko and Maribel stood there gaping before following the tengu actions.

Dutch simply dipped his head respectfully towards Tenma.

"Please rise. This is an informal meeting. No need for such formalities." Tenma said. Aya and Hatate rose dumbly, still unsure what to make of this situation.

"It seems that this room is a tad overcrowded. Can the uninjured please leave the room?" Tenma continued, her tone a gentle yet firm prod.

The tengu and the human left the room, leaving Dutch, Tenma and Ran inside. Once the door closed, Ran took a seal from inside her clothes and pasted it on the sliding barricade. The sealed twinkled brightly releasing a gentle tinkling sound.

"The room is secure." The nine-tailed Fox-woman stated as she and Tenma sat down on a pair of chairs.

Dutch gave Tenma a quizzical look. "Quite a journey just to meet little old me, don't you think? Shouldn't I be going to the palace, instead of you here?"

Tenma smiled at the human's direct question. "Even at the palace, gossip can spawn from the slightest of things. Your first visit stirred up a storm amongst the Hanataka, which is common for them. But after your attack, the wolves have gained an interest in the rumors. I believe you wouldn't want to be identified by the wolves, do you now?"

Dutch shook his head. A whole village worth of vengeful wolves was not high on his lists of things to have.

"Which is why the meeting place is here. Don't worry, there are ways to leave the palace without being spotted. Your role in this will be kept quiet. Just as you requested." Tenma finished.

Dutch nodded. "So what is the reason for this meeting? All information relating to the attack I have already told you." He said.

"Not all of it. Your wound. That didn't come from a tengu, did it?" Tenma asked, a grave look on her face.

Dutch glanced at Ran. The shikigami answered his unspoken question with a nod. Acknowledging the permission given, he returned to Lord Tenma.

"No it didn't. It came from a lunarian assassin drone spent to eliminate me. But I don't see why it relates to the tengu." Dutch asked.

Tenma sighed bitterly. "How much do you know about the history of Gensokyo?"

Dutch shrugged. "Extremely little. A quick glance through yielded nothing that was of value to me so I did not take a look at this. I was planning to come back to them at a later time."

"Very well. You did miss one part of Gensokyo's history that is relevant to your situation. A thousand years ago, long before the formation of the hakurei barrier, Yukari Yakumo commanded an army of youkai and invaded the moon." Tenma said.

Dutch whistled quietly. "That must have been an awesome sight. But seeing that the Lunarians still exist, I assume that the army was defeated?"

Tenma nodded. "While the Lunarians were caught by surprise, infighting amongst the different fractions of the youkai army slowed their progress long enough for the Lunarians to muster up a defensive line just beyond the outer settlements. Afterwards, systematic attacks at the weak parts of the army as well as the problems arising from putting groups of different youkai in one place ensured the army's destruction."

Dutch absorbed the information. "Okay, so the Lunarians can actually plan an attack. But how does this relate to now?"

Tenma continued. "At the time, the forces holding the defensive line were subpar compared to the youkai army in terms of strength. In single matches, a youkai was superior to a lunar rabbit. To make matters worse, intercepted messages told of personal shortages all along the line. If the youkai army made a concentrated strike at one point, it would shatter the line. So to counter the personal shortages, the Lunarians used their magics and created an army of golems."

Dutch frowned. "I take it assassin golems formed part of this army?"

Tenma nodded. "They provided the Lunarians with a force to temporary hold off the youkai army until a better response could be mustered. But what I'm talking about relates to the golems. It seems that after the invasion, the golem army was deactivated and destroyed. It seems that some of the Lunarians view the golems as an insult to their purity. The golem army was gone."

"But obviously with my wound, that's false." Dutch returned.

Tenma affixed her eyes on his bandage. "With your wound, it means that the Lunarians still have at least a portion of the golem army operational. Which means that Gensokyo is in great danger. An invasion by the lunar forces would easily isolate the youkai and ensure their destruction. While the standard golems are weaker compared to the your average youkai, their numbers and weapons may grant the needed advantage for victory."

Dutch's face darkened. "So I may or may not have just unlocked the key to Gensokyo's destruction." He muttered.

Tenma shook her head at the young human's inference. "No. You simply managed to reveal the presence of the army. A world's problems simply does not originate from a single man. In fact, you did spectacularly well."

Dutch merely nodded, his expression showing that he did not share Tenma's sentiment. "Well then, with that out of the way, I must ask if anything else is intended for me for the next couple of days." He asked.

Ran spoke up. "Yukari-sama has several places for you to go. She will be occupied for a couple of days and so will be unavailable to you. She requests that you head for the shrine at the top of the mountain. They are expecting you and your companions."

Dutch sighed. Really, with all the things he's done for the past few days, you would think he would give up the journey and take a well needed rest.

"Very well. As much I like this bed, the faster we get to the shrine, the faster I can get it over with. Lord Tenma, I thank you for your hospitality. Maybe one day when I have some free time, I'll return to your great village and sample what it has to offer proper." Dutch said, respectfully bowing in bed to the tengu boss.

Tenma accepted his bow with a nod. Nothing else needed to be said between the tengu leader and the secret soldier.

* * *

><p>Outside<p>

At the same time

"Gah!" Renko shouted as she and Maribel waited outside the room. They could not hear anything coming from the room and her other possible sources of information, Aya and Hatate, had disappeared off to god knows where citing vague reasons.

So it was left to the pair of humans to wait out whatever was going on in the room. Something humans are not well known for.

"What the hell is going on inside there?" Renko hissed as she pranced around, seething with fury. Maribel simply leaned against the wall appearing lost in thought. She was just as angry as Renko about the shut-out but a lot more composed compared to her best friend.

"It must be connected with whatever gave him that wound." Maribel answered after careful consideration.

"Exactly! And he just won't tell what happened. It's infuriating! Men!" Renko raged as she continued her back and forth movement up and down the corridor.

Maribel smiled. "Technically he's still a boy. Or young man."

"Whatever! That doesn't mean he should keep secrets from us. We can handle ourselves." The enraged brunette shot back.

"Can we?" Maribel whispered, hidden emotions stirring in her eyes.

Renko turned to her blonde friend. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ever since we met him, he has protected us from danger. Repeatedly, I might add. He may be hiding something to protect us." the blonde sighed.

Renko grew silent at the statement. "But we learned danmaku. We could at least protect ourselves." She answered, a slight tinge of denial in her voice. Even her own words sounded slightly hollow to herself. After watching the fighting capabilities of a couple of the inhabitants of Gensokyo, she felt weaker and weaker with each passing second.

Especially after seeing Dutch's fight with Flandre. If Marisa wasn't there, it was likely that Dutch would have died.

"Ohhh~ but do you really believe that?" The questioning voice of the gap hag questioned her with the question.

Renko and Maribel turned around to see Yukari gazing at them through a gap.

"You! What's Dutch up to that we can't know about?" Renko growled, none too intimidated by the awesome power of the gap youkai.

Yukari seemed surprised, if her face was anything to go by. "He hasn't told you? Ah well, that's for him to decide. I won't tell you unless he says so. It may do more harm than good~."

"Aaargh!" Renko yelled as she punched the wall next to her. The sound of flesh on wood reverberated down the corridor. Renko withdrew her fist, red from the impact, and stomped down the corridor.

Maribel gave Yukari a apologetic smile. "She doesn't like secrets." She explained.

Yukari nodded and hid half her face behind her fan slyly. "At the current moment, Dutch is keeping secrets from you for your own safety. The best way to make him reveal the secrets is to make sure that he doesn't need to care about your safety. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Maribel frowned. "You mean get stronger?"

Yukari laughed as the gap hole began to wane. "Oh dear, why would I suggest such a thing?"

Maribel watched the hole disappear in silence.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

Yukari leaned back against the chair.

She had done her part. How Renko and Maribel would proceed on from there would be their own choice.

Sighing lazily, she opened another gap.

"Kanako, did you receive the package?" The gap youkai asked as the mountain goddess stared back at her through the gap,

Kanako nodded. "Interesting group of humans you've acquired Yukari. Two humans with magic potential and a human with an artifact. One would be suspicious given the circumstances."

Yukari laughed. "Don't worry, they are harmless. But we have an agreement?"

Kanako nodded.

"Good." The creator of Gensokyo closed the gap, relaxing against the chair she closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

Phase one complete.


	18. One simply does not walk into Moriya!

18! If i was that number...i would be the same as now...

**Derp**:I wasn't trying to make them look stupid. i just thought how would the tengu military work while adding in a wolfpack-style discipline. And then added in the standard chaos when you hit the system where it hurts most. Funnily enough, some of the world's military systems would concentrate on finding the breach first rather than damage control. Like your name. simple and derpy. In the future, watch for far more positive depictions of the tengu.

**Sweebation**:Thank you. I always wondered how did the lunarians defeated the youkai army given the apparent shortcomings of the lunar rabbits. Purification weaponry seemed too cheap for them. This was my result and it would be a major plot device. And after i posted 16, someone stepped up to help.

Thats right folks. i got another proofreader. i would like to thank **Ban3** for help with this and the last chapter as well.

I would like to use this moment to recommend **Blueribbon118** Full Moon. While i owe him nothing and have not interacted with him yet, its an nice attempt at writing down a clash between earth and the moon. i recommend it. Although i personally have several issues with it. SOME REALLY BIG ISSUES.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

Mountain exit

Mid-afternoon

A cool gentle breeze ruffled nine furry tails and gently tickled a pair of cute, foxy ears. Dutch and Ran walked, heads bowed discussing points of interest for the journey later as well as tips for getting to the mountain top shrine.

"Are you sure there will only be fairies? I don't want to be some stray youkai's next dinner." Dutch murmured as they got closer to the large, sturdy gate.

"I'm absolutely sure. Ever since the mountain shrine arrived, the resident shrine maiden has made regular trips to cleanse the wild youkai on the mountain."

"Is it that bad?" Dutch asked, frowning.

The fox woman snickered. "Not really. Just that the shrine maiden takes her job so seriously that it has become her regular pastime... And stress relief."

Dutch winced pitying the poor souls. Sucks to be those youkai.

The pair reached the gate. "The journey should be fine for you, the distance is short enough that you should arrive there around dusk. Yukari has informed them about your visit so they will be expecting you, so have a good trip." The Kitsune finished, a smile filling her face.

The man nodded appreciatively before turning a querying eye to the great fox lady.

"What about you?"

Ran's good humor died as she sighed in exasperation. "Yukari-sama wishes me to stay here to wrap things up. It is very likely that we might not meet again for some time."

Dutch gave her soft shoulder an encouraging squeeze; "It could be worse than fighting. At least in fighting, you can fight back."

Heaving another discontented sigh Ran simply nodded, donning her silken cap.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" An indignant Renko barreled up the age worn stairs, Maribel following calmly behind.

Dutch chuckled. "Of course. How could I forget about my beautiful companions?" From Ran, he knew that both of his companions were deeply upset with him for hiding the Lunarians from them but he simply could not let them know about it. He shuddered to think what could happen to them if they were deemed too knowledgable.

So he decided to use different methods to avoid the subject and divert them. Key among these methods being flattery. By the look of their faces, it appeared to have worked. Both Renko and Maribel blushed crimson at the compliment and said nothing as they climbed the warm stone steps.

Looking from Ran to his two attractive companions a look of utter seriousness crossed his features.

"Well then, It may be a short walk up the mountain, but we need to reach the shrine before dusk. I say we best be on our way."

His companions nodded their assent. Leaving the relative safety of the still smoking city at their backs, the trio set off up the mountain. Leaving a forlorne looking fox woman in their wake.

A dejected Ran watched them until they dwindled out of sight.

* * *

><p>Mountain path<p>

'He's distracting us.' Renko's perceptive mind had picked up a common pattern as they trekked up the rugged mountain.

Ever since they had left the village, Dutch had engaged the two in conversation. When one topic ended, a question from his side would set off yet another. It had been enjoyable but it also took their minds off his as yet unexplained wound.

Still displayed for the world to see, the bandage had a slightly pink tinge staining its woven threads. Dutch swung his arms casually enough, but in moments where he assumed they couldn't see him, Renko noticed the barely concealed grimaces.

The brunette flashed a look of concern to her best friend. Maribel nodded back, comprehension evident upon her face. She had had the same line of thought as her friend.

The wind howled mournfully around them.

'It's not working.'

Dutch felt the communication between his two lovely albeit headstrong companions. Without a doubt, he knew that they could only be discussing one subject.

'Crap!'

As his mind agonised over ways to distract them, the wind buffeted the bare mountain side. As it howled past them an ominous presence seemed to ooze out of the air around them.

It seemed alive, an eldritch wail littered with whispers of voices, speaking to him. Calling out to him. Preying on his very mind.

His fingers twitched restlessly towards his pistol holster.

He remembered the earlier conversation. Ran had said that the shrine maiden often cleansed the wild youkai. So there should only be harmless fairies left on the mountain.

From his point of view, it meant only one thing. Any youkai still around would be the kind that was smart enough to hide from the indiscriminate cleansing of the overzealous shrine maiden.

'This is bad, this is very bad.'

The thought careened across his mind. Whatever happened, his main priority would be to get Renko and Maribel to the shrine quickly. Then he could worry about himself.

* * *

><p>The youkai waited.<p>

It had been a while since that cruel shrine maiden descended upon the flesh eating inhabitants of the mountain and brought down her wrath with her. Ever since, the smart had the sudden urge to be vegetarian. The stubborn attacked her.

They lasted no longer than the first charge.

Since then, the flesh eating youkai had been in hiding, fearful of the power that the unscrupulous shrine maiden brought with her yet stubbornly unwilling to rid themselves of their love of flesh.

In their hideouts, they waited for the next fool to bring their faith and flesh up the mountain. Ironically, the shrine was also a blessing to them. Traffic had never been so plentiful.

So they lay, hidden in the dark caves, listening attentively for the footsteps of their next meal.

Another group. Three humans. Healthy, if the force of their footsteps was any indication.

The youkai cackled, wicked thoughts clouding the already dank atmosphere. Three humans would be a great feast. If they could get them before the shrine maiden flew by, it would be a perfect day.

They howled, their magic adding voices and whispers to the sounds as it crossed the mountain. It spoke of desires and wants. A great bringer of distraction that had always worked in the past.

* * *

><p>Something was wrong. Something was really wrong.<p>

Dutch scanned the ragged slopes of the mountain. The strange wind still howled, but he disregarded it's words. Especially when most of them spoke of questionable actions towards his companions.

No, his mind was screaming danger. Just like the cave.

Should he warn Renko and Maribel?

Nah. The last thing he needed was a pair of keyed-up, danmaku-wielding women to bring confusion. Just in case through, he turned off his pistol safety.

* * *

><p>Renko frowned at Dutch's movement.<p>

Safety off?

Bad news. She tapped her inner magic reserves. If needed, she could fire off a bolt before any attacker could reach her.

As she felt the warm magic energy, she was suddenly swamped by a wave of memories.

Dutch providing covering fire as she ran for the door. A super golem bent on killing her and Maribel halted in its tracks. Dutch sitting beside her and Maribel, silent as she cried out her heart. Like a stoic guardian.

'Never again!' She swore to herself. She would prove to Dutch that she did not need protection.

* * *

><p>The youkai snarled in frustration.<p>

The magic wind had failed to do it's purpose. The humans were proceeding as normal.

Hissing angrily they considered the alternatives. Distraction was their preferred tactic. Having to take on prey was despised. Any activity would flood the flesh with chemicals, making it tougher. They preferred to kill when the prey was distracted. It made the flesh soft.

The youkai swarmed out of their caves in groups, bloodlust saturating the air. Their sharp claws crunched over the rocks of the mountain and their teeth dripped nacreous saliva. They could smell blood.

They were hungry.

Food was here.

* * *

><p>Dutch scanned the mountain sides.<p>

According to Ran's directions, they were almost there. Just 10 minutes worth of walking and they would be safe.

Somehow, he felt that the journey would last longer than that.

Something or things were coming. He could feel it in the ground. An almost imperceptible vibration that he felt through the soles of his boots.

"Something is coming. Be careful." He warned, phasing out his carbine.

Renko and Maribel nodded. They continued their journey, alert for any danger.

At that point a ghostly howl echoed throughout the air. It raised the hairs on all the humans' backs. Dutch scrutinized the mountain side.

Some small stones skittered down the slope from above, drawing his eyes toward a barren outcrop. There, standing on the outcrop, was a hunter of a youkai. It could have stood at his height but it's crouch brought it only to his chin. It was hairless, blood red eyes with slits for pupils examining them. Its slender body structure gave the illusion of frailty, but the hard packed muscle on the arms and legs said otherwise. The claws at the tips of its arms and legs were caked brown with dried blood.

The youkai raised its head and howled. The ghostly, windy sound filled the air, the same whispers along with them.

"Shoot it!" Dutch shouted.

Renko fired off a couple of bolts. The brilliant blue danmaku peppered the rock around the youkai. It yelped and disappeared.

Renko grinned triumphantly and ran up the side of the mountain. She ran towards where the youkai disappeared, danmaku ready to fire.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dutch called out, a stern tone to his voice. Whatever Renko was planning, she was splitting up the group and going alone. That was extremely dangerous.

Renko simply grinned. She would show Dutch she could take care of herself.

At the bleak and jagged outcrop, she looked around to searching for her quarry. She saw a line of disturbed rocks heading into a cave. Smiling, Renko strode forward, danmaku lighting up the darkness.

Feeling a vibration beneath her feet she stopped, looking around, making sure that the movement was around her. Pebbles danced in tune to the vibration filling the dark while loose rocks tore loose from the mountain, rolling and tumbling around her.

A low howl tore from the very bowels of the cavern. Soon it was joined by another and another and another until it became a cacophony of ghostly sounds. The howls picked up, faster and louder than before, as if something was closing in on her, very, very fast.

Renko blanched.

"Renko! Renko! Dammit!" Dutch called out. She had just run off. Alone. That was asking for a youkai to pick her off. This was why he didn't want to tell them anything.

"Run!" Renko screamed as she tore down the mountain side to the trail. Dutch opened his mouth to chastise her for her recklessness but immediatly shut it once he saw what was in hot pursuit.

A wave of youkai poured out from around the outcrop, howling. The rocks crunched under their claws and pearlescent saliva dripped from their open mouths. Their eyes glowed with bloodlust as they chased after the human in front of them.

Dutch dropped onto one knee and brought up his merciless rifle. He fired, each careful burst knocking a youkai out of commission and sending it tumbling down the mountain side.

Maribel added her own fire. While not as accurate as Dutch's shots, her rainbow bolts brought down youkai after youkai. A lucky shot struck a youkai in the face. It dropped as its own inertia brought it down falling headlong down the rocky slope. Several youkai behind it tried to jump over their erratically twisting comrade but failed, creating a tangle of arms, legs claws and bodies that hurtled down the steep rock face.

It seemed hopeless as more and more joined the horde and two humans simply did not have the firepower to stop them. Renko reached the path and like an Olympic runner, flashed past. Dutch and Maribel took off behind her.

A howl up ahead indicated a group of youkai heading straight towards them. Dutch cursed and phased out his grenade launcher. He stopped momentary, aimed and fired.

_Chunk!_

The grenade soared over his companions' heads and landed in the middle of the youkai formation. It blew apart with the force of a 40mm warhead. Non lethal of course.

_Boom!_

The formation flew apart, a cloud of vivid danmaku slowly fading away. Jumping up smoothly, Dutch chased after his companions. The pair of women ran through the pile of bodies. Some of which were already getting up again, dazed and mewling in pain.

As Dutch ran through the youkai littered ground, a disoriented youkai on the ground growled and swiped at his passing foot.

The claws tore through the cloth like a hot knife through butter. Dutch stumbled but righted himself and kept going. The youkai snarled in frustration and dropped it's head, spent.

'Why does everything here tear through cloth like paper?' Dutch thought as he continued running.

Behind him, the ranks of youkai swelled in size. From their caves, they oozed, lured by the smell of blood.

Dutch took a rapid glance behind. From the size of the horde after him, he guessed at least two platoons worth of youkai were after them. Even with his companions, they did not have the firepower to fight them off.

A burning pain in his right forearm made him cry out in pain. The bandage was suddenly stained with red.

'The wound reopened!'He thought in alarm. Behind him, the youkai howled louder as the smell of blood strengthened their resolve.

Noting the increased volume, Dutch began formulating a hasty plan. He frowned as he carefully and coolly judged the situation. Coming to a conclusion, he reached for the knot holding the bandage, pulled it and took off the blood stained cloth.

He hurled the cloth behind him. A couple of youkai peeled off and in pursuit of the cloth. They attacked each other, fighting for the bandage.

'Buggers are attracted to the blood. Well, that puts my options into perspective.' He concluded. The wound ran freely, the blood dripping out. The youkai after him snarled, hungry for the source of blood just in front of them.

'If I'm right, there should be a crossroad ahead. Right leads to the shrine.' He remembered. Dutch picked up speed until he was right behind the two women.

"Listen. There is a crossroads up ahead. *Breathe* When you reach there, I need you to turn right. You hear me? Turn right!" Dutch panted out as he ran beside the two women.

Renko picked up the hidden portion of his voice. "Just what are you planning?" She breathed as she pumped her legs.

Dutch flashed her a grin.

At the crossroads, Renko and Maribel turned right. Dutch, who deliberately lagged behind them, took a left. Because he was behind them, his companions did not notice that he was not behind them.

The youkai chasing them snarled. Up to three quarters of the group went left, after the source of the blood. The remaining one, consisting of the smarter ones, turned right, after the two human girls. In their bloodlust, they did not notice where they were going.

* * *

><p>Right path<p>

Renko and Maribel panted in exertion as their wobbly legs dragged them achingly closer to the shrine. The youkai behind howled and snarled as they chased them.

Renko pointed her hand behind her and let off a few shots. The bolts smacked into the leading youkai. It yelped in pain and dropped. It's compatriots jumped over it and continued on their path.

A flash of a building caught Maribel's eye. A roof peaked over the edge of the road.

"We are almost there!" She shouted, joy flooding her haggard face.

As the duo ran, an unlucky step on a rock pitched Renko towards the waiting cold, hard rock. She landed hard, her breath knocked out by the impact.

"Renko!" Maribel yelled panic in her voice. She stopped and turned, firing her rainbow danmaku at the rapidly appoaching youkai. The bolts peppered the attackers but they pushed on, ignoring their losses as several fell to the non lethal shots.

One youkai, impatient as it were, took a leap. It flew over Renko, who could smell the putrid stench of rotten flesh in the fur of the creature.

It crashed into Maribel. The two slid across the loose, stony ground scattering pebbles along their trail. The youkai, on top howled in triumph.

"No!" Renko yelled. She was powerless to stop the youkai as it stared at its prey with hunger. Fear filled eyes looked back.

'Please! Just let me do something!' Renko pleaded to herself. Her magic responded to the cry, melding and shaping itself to a type that would be the most suitable for its wielder.

An intricately wrought hour hand appeared in front of her, floating in the air like an arrow, It resembled a supersized version of the hour hand of an ancient grandfather clock. Renko gawked at the hour hand hopefully.

'Please.' She thought. In answer, the hour hand aimed at the youkai on top of Maribel and shot off.

The youkai raised it's arms for a strike. As it brought its ragged down for the kill, the youkai paused. It turned it's head just in time for an oversized hour hand to peg it in the face. It blew apart, a minor explosion rocked the ground, blue energy spreading from the impact point.

The youkai tumbled off Maribel, out for the count. Renko smiled in relief.

Then a snarl from the other youkai snapped her back into focus. She heard the crunch of the rock under their claws and smelled the stench of death wafting from them. More so, she could hear their eager snorts.

A great fear siezed her as she realized the she was mre than likely about to die.

Just as all hope appeared lost, a barrage of charms flew over her head and struck the youkai, setting off a series of small explosions. The youkai scattered as charms and danmaku rained down on them. They had realized too late whose territory they had strayed into.

Dispensing charms with one hand and firing off danmaku with the other, Sanae Kochiya descended upon the youkai that would dare hunt for human flesh. Her face awash with righteous fury, she doled out punishment to the youkai, her shots accurately striking them.

One youkai, snarling, leaped at her. She cooly avoided the attacker and attached a charm to its head. The youkai shrieked as holy energy coursed through it. Finally, it disappeared in a flash of fire, its soul sent directly to the Sanzu river.

The other youkai backed away, fear coursing through them. They turned and fled, trying to escape the green haired shrine maiden. Sanae gave chase, the sheer volume of fire from her the equivalent of a squad of men.

Renko staggered to her feet, attempting to adjust to the sudden change in situation. She tottered over to Maribel and helped her up. The two women just stood there, righting themselves.

And then Renko realized that there were only two of them. And that there were far fewer youkai than before.

She put two and two together.

When the last youkai vanished in a flash of fire, Sanae turned around and flew back. These humans were unlucky to have garnered such a large of group of youkai. At least she managed to reach them before the youkai got them.

For the umpteenth time, Sanae wished that the resident gods at the shrine would let her go after the youkai in the mountain caves. While she took to heart their advice that she could not indiscrimately cleanse youkai, the youkai of the mountain caves preyed on humans. That made them deserving of a cleansing.

According to the gods of the shrine, they did not allow Sanae to enter and clear the caves because it would be too dangerous for her. Sanae understood where their sentiments were coming from but she firmly believed that she could take of herself.

As she returned to her fellow humans, she found a rather unexpected sight. The brunette was raging(she couldn't find any better word to describe it) around, firing into the ground with her danmaku. She screamed in anger.

"STUPID UNSELFISH SELF-SACRIFICING YOUNG IDIOT OF A MAN!"

Sanae was so taken aback by the whole scene that she simply stared in bewilderment. Unable to think up a proper way to address the situation, she shyly spoke up, unwilling to be the target of Renko's rage.

"Uuummm...is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

Renko turned to the shrine maiden. "YES! YOU CAN GO FIND HIM AND DRAG HIS ASS HERE SO THAT I CAN KICK IT! HE BETTER HOPE THE YOUKAI GET HIM BEFORE I DO!" Renko yelled before stomping off in anger.

Sanae was stunned. Never has she ever met such a person who reacted in such a way. Maribel smiled apologetically and walked up to the shrine maiden.

"Hello, my name is Maribel Hearn. I must apologize for my friends actions. We had a male companion with us that distracted the majority of the youkai. My friend, whose name is Renko Usami, has been less than pleased with his tendency to put himself in dangerous situations, sometimes to protect us." Maribel explained.

Sanae nodded. "Don't worry. There is help on the mountain. He will be safe." She assured Maribel.

* * *

><p>Left path<p>

Dutch ripped the knife out of the youkai's neck. It gurgled as it collapsed, blood flowing out of its neck. He flicked his knife to get off the blood and looked around him.

Youkai littered the land around him. The lucky ones lay untouched, simply knocked out by the non lethal danmaku from his rifle and pistol. The unlucky ones were those that got close to him. He had switched to his knife and pistol for close quarters battle. Unfortunately for his attackers, you can't blunt a diamond knife.

They lay around him, stab wounds and lacerations covering their bodies, a macabre and fatal tattoo. Most died in one clean strike, from stabs to the neck or head. The rest died...messily. Pools of blood and unidentified body components littered the stony ground. Dutch preferred not to find out what they were.

The other youkai stood around him in a loose circle. Wary after seeing Dutch decimate their betters. In hindsight, they shouldn't have let the bigger youkai cow them into the circle and let themselves charge for the prize. But even youkai have a hierarchy to follow. Too bad it meant that their betters died first.

Dutch looked at himself. Drenched in youkai blood, he probably looked rather like a monster himself. Several parts of his fatigues felt drenched in blood. He glanced at his right arm. In the rush of combat, his body dulled the pain of his reopened wound. It glistened brightly and youkai blood and his own intermingled together.

'There better not have any weird crap in the blood that could kill me.' Dutch thought.

A youkai in the circle gave up controlling it's bloodlust. It howled and charged him. A pair emboldened by the howling attacker decided to follow suit. The smell of blood in the air, it's own kind and the human's, increasing their resolve.

Dutch snapped up his pistol. A couple of shots brought down one of the back youkai. He shifted his M9 to the next target but it already was too close. Dutch shifted away from the leap of the youkai. It botched the landing and tumbled over the ground clumsily.

The other youkai behind it lunged at Dutch. Dutch sidestepped the claws and brought down the butt of his pistol. The youkai snarled at the pain of the strike but was still standing. Dutch kicked the youkai onto its back and in one stroke, slashed the knife across its neck.

A jet of blood spurted out. The youkai thrashed chaotically, its life slowly ebbing away. It's killer already ignoring it, turned to face his other problems.

The youkai from the failed lunge was already back on its feet. It growled, hunger and bloodlust occupying every inch of its mind. It slashed at Dutch, eyes bright red and wild.

Dutch stopped the slash with his pistol and stabbed with his knife. The blade slid into the his assailant's abdomen smoothly. The youkai snarled as it struggled with the pain but it only served to widen the wound.

Desperate, the youkai threw itself forward, forcing its whole weight upon the worn soldier. The two fell onto the ground, the youkai on top. It snarled and with a sudden flash of intelligence, used it's claws to pin down Dutch's knife.

Dutch tugged his blade but the claws pushed it fast against the ground. His other hand was useless, it being occupied by a pistol. Running through solutions, Dutch came up with one. It might work...if he wasn't too squeamish.

Letting go of his blade, Dutch plunged his hand in the one place that the youkai couldn't reach. Inside it. It felt comfortably warm.

The youkai snarled as it felt the questing hand of Dutch inside it. Dutch, mind occupied by a cold rage, reached up into the chest and found what he was looking for. He gave it a tug.

The youkai started howling in terror as it realized what the human was up to. It struggled frantically to get away from the human. Dutch hooked his hand around the youkai's neck and brought it up to his face, his voice a primal yell.

The organ finally gave way with a sickening tear and Dutch tore his prize out of the youkai's body. Shrugging off the corpse he rose to his feet, holding in his hand the still beating heart, a message to the masses.

That broke their resolve.

They ran as far away as they could. First the youkai in the innermost circle turned and fled and then further until those at the edges dazed and trampled underfoot managed to scramble to join the panicked stampede. The youkai of the mountain were in full retreat. Blindly fleeing from the human monster that had taken down so many of their kind so efficiently and brutally.

Dutch stared at their retreating backs. He realized that he still holding the now dead heart of the youkai. He threw it away, a wrenching splat indicating it landing. He picked up his diamond knife and phased it and his pistol away.

Looking onward down the path, Dutch saw a sign. He walked up to it and read the words written on it.

Hermit's Mansion.

"Hermit's mansion? That, I want to see." Dutch said as he continued up that path, his normal demeanor back again, his recent rage already a distant memory.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

The snake goddess watched as the male continued up that path. If you took away the blood covered clothing, he was no different from a casual traveler.

To think he literally ripped the heart out of a youkai just minutes earlier...

A rippling shudder of revulsion ran across her arms.

By the gods, what kind of person had Yukari gotten now?

* * *

><p>Thus 18 cometh and went...<p>

Expect to see more of the ending fighting scene style. I hope to try fighting with a lot more grit and all that good stuff.

Special thanks goes to **Ban3** for proofreading and adding in the part that help a lot.

RNR. it helps.


	19. Mountain fillers

I shall speaken truth. zis is chapter is a pacifist one.

no seriously. Most of this content is just interactions between characters. Working on the next chapter, i can say with confidence it will be the same but maybe with a bit more cuteness. Those expecting combat shall be disappointed. Oh and I'm feel that I'm straying into a minefield of sorts in my opinion for this chapter. A internet if you can find it.

This is also my shortest chapter yet. **SORRY!**

BIG thanks goes to **Ban3** for editing.

* * *

><p>Hermit Mansion<p>

Dutch climbed out of the bath. He picked up a silken robe, ruby red and deep viridian green in design, and pulled it on over his aching body. He let out a contented sigh, marveling at its soft texture. For a hermit, she really had great taste in clothing.

Looking back at the stained water, the colour of blood roses, Dutch let the whole fight play out in his mind once again. From the swift strikes with his knife to the grisly, heart ripping conclusion. He had screamed into that youkai's face, a visceral denial as he tore out its heart. Throughout the whole fight, he had felt a primal burn.

To wipe them out. To tear them apart.

Dutch shook his head to clear it. There was a time and place for everything and standing outside a bath was definitely not the correct place to go into a primal rage.

He left the bathroom and returned to the main room. Inside, the owner of the mansion reclined in meditation, eyes closed and body in a peaceful state.

She opened her eyes and turned to face him.

"I trust that the bath was to your liking?"

Dutch nodded thankfully. "For a hermit mansion, your facilities are impressive, Ibara-san."

Kasen Ibara smiled. "You flatter me, Dutch-san. It is simply more for practicality than anything else. Meditation periods sometimes stretch for days on end and cleanliness is not something one can ignore. Its nothing more than a simple bath, nothing else."

Dutch took in the information.

"Still, this place is very well kept. I thought the stereotypical hermit would be rid of all worldly desires? This place speaks of wanting to create a good impression with any viewer."

Kasen's smile turned into a slightly mocking smirk. "And the stereotypical hermit you are talking about, does that person let dust and dirt pile up around him or her?"

Dutch opened his mouth but could not find an answer. He eventually closed his mouth, smiling sheepishly.

"There is a difference between wanting to make a good impression and keeping a place well kept Dutch-san. This place is simply a dwelling spot for me, nothing more, and I am obligated to keep it clean. Do you see any worldly desire in that?" Kasen asked, the slight mocking tone still in her voice.

Dutch chuckled at her answer. "Can't say I do."

Kasen smiled and adjusted her position, her legs sliding out beneath her she slumped a bit, allowing her weight to rest on her hip. "Humor aside, what are you doing on the mountain without an escort? The youkai here are known to prey on humans and your wound would draw them out." She asked, concern evident on her face.

Dutch sighed. "My companions and I were to head for the shrine higher up the mountain. We were intercepted by the youkai and had to separate. The last I saw them, they were heading for the shrine with a quarter of the youkai after them. I took another route to distract the majority of the youkai."

Kasen frowned. "If you distracted the majority of the youkai, how are you still alive? It would be almost impossible to fight them off and you can't fly to escape."

Dutch's smile widened into a chilling grin that spoke of dark deeds. "I fought them until they ran away in fear. Incidentally, that was why I appeared in front of your doorstep drenched in blood." He finished.

Kasen nodded in acceptance. As she looked at him she noticed something that she had missed before. Something that gave her the chills.

To her eyes, so adept in finding vengeful spirits, they could see an almost imperceptible black aura enshrouding the young man. Although it was barely visible there was no denying its existance.

The aura of death.

It clung to Dutch, like a cloak enfolding him. Like the shinigami when she came to visit her, it did not show the coming of death but instead indicated the experiences of death.

It did not radiate outwards. As is the case with a person who actively set out to kill.

His was the mark of a being that has spent its time around death for too long.

'What happened to this person?' She could not help but wonder.

'This outsider is different. Far too different.' She concluded.

* * *

><p>Night<p>

Kasen sat, enrapt in meditation once again.

Around her, the room lay bare. Dutch had retired to the quarters designated for him and the mansion was silent.

Death approached hidden deep within the gloom.

More silent then the passage of a soul and sharper than a wisp of air, the scythe lowered dangerously around Kasen's neck.

"How many times do you plan to appear with that entrance?" Kasen asked her voice steeped in disinterest, eyes still closed.

Komachi Onozuka drew her scythe back from Kasen's Neck. The shinigami boat women of the Sanzu river lowered herself calmly onto the floor and set aside her scythe.

"You did destroy another spirit a couple of days ago." She muttered as she lay on the floor.

"The spirit was threatening the living. I believe that counts as enough reason to destroy them?" Kasen answered.

Komachi smiled at her answer. "A reason the other shinigami agree with, but just this once."

The room was cloaked in silence.

"Just today, the souls of twelve youkai appeared at the Sanzu river. They were sent there by the actions of a human. He currently resides in your dwelling."

Kasen nodded. "He was attacked by the youkai. He fought back."

"Shikieiki-sama wants me to observe him. Apparently he did some things outside her jurisdiction that caught her attention" Komachi continued.

"What does the Yama want with him? If it was outside her jurisdiction, she has no say in it." Kasen shot back testily.

Komachi shrugged. "I personally have no idea either. I came here to ask your opinion since you had some contact with him."

"Young. Average looking. Has the spark of youth in his eyes. All in all, your average human at his prime. Polite. A warrior of some sort. Has standards for fighting. And is apparently quite competent, seeing as he sent twelve youkai to the Sanzu river." Kasen rattled out.

Komachi blinked. "You have been judging him as well?"

Kasen nodded. "When I first met him, he did not seem like the other outsiders. Taking from what I knew from him, that was my conclusion."

"I see. Well then, I will be watching him from your dwelling. Yama's orders." Komachi announced as she stretched on the floor.

Kasen said nothing as she settled back into her meditation position.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Maribel lay on her soft futon and sighed in comfort as she felt her body relax against the cloth.

Today was a day of days.

After Renko had calmed down, she had apologized profusely to Sanae for her behaviour. Sanae simply brushed aside her apologies, claiming that she understood where the anger was coming from and Renko was fully within her rights to have such a reaction.

After that, Sanae had led them to the shrine where she had revealed the existence of gods that still walk the earth to the two outsiders. Needless to say, both Renko and Maribel were amazed. Their amazement had increased tenfold when not one but two gods revealed themselves in person.

Unsure of what to do, they bowed to the greater beings. The two gods, so delighted by their reaction, had offered them a room to stay in for the time being. Tired, sore and having no place to go, they accepted graciously.

Maribel took in the room with her eyes. The room was the standard type for a shrine; knotted wooden walls and a small table set in the center. Very spartan. However one difference was the out of place power sockets built into the walls. She was thankful that the shrine had given them a place to stay for the night although since Yukari told them to head here, it may have be planned.

A smart person does not look too deep into another's kindness. Dismissing this thought, Maribel focused on other things. Like Gensokyo so far.

In less than a week, she and her best friend had learned or confirmed so many things that they had thought they had known, that it was staggering. In fact, Gensokyo had smashed most of her theories and then rebuilt them as one that was so similar and yet different that she had decided to meet the magic as it came.

The door opened and Renko walked in, dressed in a neat, coffee brown robe. She dropped onto her own futon with a groan.

"The bath is yours." She said yawning tiredly.

Maribel nodded as she stood up. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something very important which gave her cause to pause. She turned back to her friend.

"Renko, just now when we were running, you shot a youkai off me and saved my life. Thank you so much, I really owe my life to you." Closing the door quietly behind her she left the room.

Renko blushed at the unexpected gratitude shown to her.

"It's nothing." She murmured to no-one in particular.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

Tengu palace

The last of the tengu leaders left the room and the doors closed. Tenma closed her eyes in relief as she leaned back in her throne.

She did not regret ordering the attack. It showed her where the white wolves needed to improve. She would rather lose the respect of the tengu than see her beloved village destroyed.

Which was exactly what had happened.

After she had revealed her attack orders, she could see that some of the white wolf commanders had lost their respect for her. That was understandable. She was more worried though about what these commanders would do now.

Already, the white wolf response was less than welcoming.

Her requests were taking longer than usual to be completed and she could not reach any of the commanders at all. Liaison staff politely rejected her requests citing that the commanders were too busy managing the aftermath of the attack and it was too important to be interrupted.

Nonsense! She knew for certain of at least one commander that was busy berating his tengu over the escape of Dutch. Hardly important at all.

At least she had managed to keep the number of people aware of this information to an absolute minimum. Yukari had provided a perfect solution for her.

By using an outsider, the problems of having to silence any tengu that might leak the information was eliminated. She despised having to eliminate any one of her people for any reasons.

And about that man, that human, Dutch.

Tenma realized that she liked the human. He gave her the impression of a modest man. Hardly anyone else would ask for his role to be kept quiet in such a endeavor. He wished to be kept in the shadows and Tenma honored his request.

And to kill an assassin drone. That was no mean feat. She remembered the confusion all those years ago as the drones hunted and killed all the leaders of the youkai army from the shadows.

She stood up from her throne and walked to the hidden door connected to her quarters.

Inside her quarters, she released her hair from its shackles, namely a golden pin embellished with intricate patterns and crafted into the shape of a feather. Dropping the regal mask her face took in front of her subjects, she gazed at the reflection in her mirror hesitantly.

A young, striking, youthful beauty with a sleek sliver mane looked back. Burgundy eyes, tempered by eons of experience yet shining with the light of life graced her beautiful face. The face of the tengu village for the last 1000 years.

'Humans age so fast.' She thought with a sigh. The amount of years she had seen would be insurmountable to the common man but common for a youkai. Humanity had changed so many times she learned to treat each new person with caution. Youkai intolerance seem to be a recurring theme through time.

Tenma looked away from the mirror. She loved her village and all it's occupants. It gave her great satisfaction that she could guarantee each and every occupant of her village the absolute best she could provide. She loved her job. So why did she feel so... so restless? Why did she feel unfulfilled?

After Dutch had briefed her on his actions, it had created a spark. The spark had struck long dead tinder and ignited a fire.

The fire of adventure burned. The urge to travel, encounter danger and reach a destination was very much alive inside her.

At first, Tenma had regarded the urge with surprise. Such an urge had no place in the life of a village leader. So to quench the urge, she decided to leave the palace in secret to meet Dutch, hoping the thrill of traveling in secret would put out the fire.

It had backfired. As the tengu leader, she knew the village better then she knew the back of her own hand. Heck, sometimes she would discover food particles on the back of her hand that she could not explain, but she could mark out in less than a second every food storage on the tengu village, even the secret ones, and know as well which ones contained what.

In short, it was no different than sneaking around her own home. In fact, it fed the fire, making it flare up into an inferno. Hardly a second passed without her feeling like throwing off all her responsibilities and running off in a random direction. Just her, a sword, supplies and the great deck of encounters called adventure.

It scared her.

She needed help. Yet she could not ask her advisers for it. If even a wisp of information reached the ears of the white wolves, what little respect they had left for her would shatter. She needed at least a civil rapport between her and the village defense force.

So for the whole day, she wondered who she could ask. Obviously not Yakumo. She would use the resulting favor to profit in whatever ways her trollish mind would think of.

Definitely not the mountain gods. She had an image to keep with the faith based beings and she would not waste it for such a trivial reason.

Out of options, Tenma turned to the source of her problem. Dutch. She would ask the opinion of the outsider. At least she knew that he could probably keep his mouth shut.

The message would reach him in the morning. Hopefully he could answer with something helpful.

Tenma stripped herself of her regal attire and entered the lavatory connected to her quarters. Inside, she released the magic that she cast on herself everyday .

A pair of shiny black crow wings appeared on her back and unfurled. Speculation about which tengu the leader of the village was was still a hot topic. Theories of which one she could be were always thrown around with sometimes weird and wacky reasons to accompany them. It provided a good laugh for Tenma when she needed it.

For the sake of village stability, Tenma decided to keep her tengu type secret. It required magic as well as years of tweaking to achieve perfection. Every crow tengu learned to use magic to hide their wings before they took to the air. Even the magically inept ones somehow managed it. It served its purpose well.

However, crow tengu and those who lived among them knew that the magic used is not perfect. There are several flaws in the spell itself, flaws that are obvious to eyes looking for them. To any other person, the wings never existed. It became a rite of passage for crow tengu to spot a fellow crow tengu in a crowd.

Tenma needed a spell that would completely hide her wings so she did what any person in her situation would do. She took the magic and made it better. Now she could appear in tengu public without showing off her type.

Tenma climbed into a large, lavish Japanese style bath already prepared for her by her personal staff. She involuntarily shivered as her wings entered the comfortably hot water.

As she leaned back against the side of the tub, she suddenly had a weird flash of imagination. She imagined Dutch at the other side of the bath, in the water and speaking to her. A blush crept onto her face along with a rush of hormones.

Shaking her head to clear the image, Tenma sank up to her nose and sighed, agitating the water in her frustration.

* * *

><p>Lunar capital<p>

Lunar noble quarters

"How is this possible!" Lord Takaru spluttered as he smashed his hand in anger on the table.

The sound made the messenger rabbit flinch. He cowered before the blazing anger of the lunar noble.

"The impurity managed to defeat the drone sir. There was nothing that we could do." The rabbit answered, hoping that the answer would satisfy his master.

"Impossible! It is a Human! Not even a youkai! You expect me to believe that such a weak creature could defeat a creation of purity!" Takaru roared.

The rabbit wished the floor would open up and swallow him. He had no answer for his lord.

"Get out." Takaru growled quietly. Happy to be away from the enraged lunar noble, the rabbit bowed and exited the room as fast as its feet would carry it.

Takaru took the cup of tea on the table next to him and hurled it at a pillar.

This impurity was a problem... A problem he needed dead.

He fully understood that he was going against the lunar emperor decree. However he also knew that the impurity was a danger to the moon and should be eliminated.

In fact, that should be applied to all inhabitants of the earth.

Takaru had a problem. He could only send in small increments of drones to kill the impurity. Any larger and the lunar emissaries would notice. He needed a different approach.

The splatter of tea began to ooze down the marble pillar as though a blood stain from a recent kill. Takaru smiled ominously.

Why not use the other impurities?


	20. New mindsets and Blue on Blue

**20! WHOO WHOO WHOO!**

**Milestone is milestone. To reach this amount of chapters is a achievement for me. Great thanks goes to you, my awesome readers. Your reviews and the very fact that i have people reading my stuff kept me going. of those, i want to thank some special guys have helped me a lot.**

**Sweebation:You, sir, are awesome. your reviews and tips provided me with motivation and improvements. Then we have you have the beta-reading that you did for me and Your shoutout which was gratefully received. Good luck for your FRC competition, you got some big stuff ahead for you. Keep being awesome! You deserve it!**

**Ban3:Dank you. You proved to be a great help in the language, motivation and editing section. i really cannot say how just much you have managed to help me improve my writing so please take this thankful words instead. Your review have proved to be great help. I also must thank you for being my beta reader and overall great help.**

**And of course, i must thank my readers, those who have added this to their alerts, those who reviewed and the unsung ones that just read this work.**

**THANK YOU!**

* * *

><p>"Saber! Come in Saber!" The radio blared.<p>

Dutch groaned as he dragged himself off the ground. Goddamn, he was hurt all over. At least it reminded him that he was alive. He preferred the pain over the alternative.

He stumbled awkwardly and fell in the loose sand rolling down the dune. At the bottom, he came to a stop among the torn remains of his parachute.

Vaguely, he remembered detaching the parachute right before he landed. Otherwise, that damn weapon bag that had caused his fall would have come crashing down on his face.

Speaking of the bag...

Dutch checked under the parachute. The bag was still there, its straps still tangled up in the wire of the chute. He tsked, took out his diamond knife and cut through the mess of wires.

"Saber! Come in Saber!" The radio cut in yet again.

Reaching up to the helmet speaker he depressed the talk button twice. Now on speaker, he answered.

"Control, this is Saber. Stop that racket will ya? I got a damn jackhammer crew all over my body." He answered as he reached the bag. He unzipped the black duffel bag and rooted around inside it.

"Thank god. Listen. The situation now is FUBAR. Hammer and Sickle have both been picked up by hostile forces and your GPS beacon is screwed. We don't know where you are and latest force estimates conclude that you got at least a battalion of soldiers looking for you." The radio said, the news making Dutch grin.

"600 men? All for me? I'm flattered. But where do I go from here? Can't you triangulate my position and find out where I am?" Dutch asked as he took out the bullpup KH2002 rifle and stripped it.

"It just finished. Alright. You are currently 10 miles from your target and 3 miles from the cache. I sent the info to your helmet. Command has decided to give you free rein. What do you plan to do next?" The radio asked.

Dutch expertly assembled the rifle and pulled the charging handle. It slid back with a loud click. The sound made his grin widen.

"I'm getting a hammer and sickle." He answered.

* * *

><p>Dutch awoke.<p>

He got up from the head on hands position he was sleeping in and leaned back on the chair he was sitting on. His project, displayed on the interface in front of him, froze in its paused state that he left it in hours ago before he surrendered to sleep.

Beside him, Vault floated, as if staring at the screen itself.

"I see that you have started quite an undertaking. Such an endeavor for the child. She is blessed to have you." It said, its voice impressed.

Dutch gave Vault a bemused look.

"Hardly fair that she has to see the world around her through the eyes of another, don't you think? Now that she is a fully fledged living being, she should experience what the world has to offer. It would be a fair shame for her to have to live her life confined to the vault."

"Such idealism. The young viewpoint of the youth." Vault snickered, a slightly mocking tone underlying it's voice.

"And why would you say that?"

"Nothing. The child is approaching here. I will take my leave now. Goodbye...oh dear." Vault said, surprised by something.

Dutch frowned. "What?"

"AHahahahahaha..." Vault laughed as it disappeared. Dutch frowned deeply at the entity as it faded.

The door leading to the sleeping quarters opened and Vale floated in. She was wearing a white apron along with her normal clothing and she carried a tray, occupied by a plate. Her face was bright with joy.

"Daddy!" She shouted.

Daddy?

Dutch jaw-dropped at the greeting of the entity. His mind raced at fast speed as he tried to process the word.

Daddy. He definitely heard her say that. As his mind worked to formulate a denial to her words, the logical part of it worked even faster to develop a reason for such a statement.

He made her. That was a given. The vault had told him that and he did not believe that it would lie to him. So legally, if modern laws could be used here, he was her father.

The other part of his mind sought to remind the logical part that Dutch only gave her a name. The other components were created not by him. So he was not her creator.

But there were laws regarding families with non-biological parents. And since Vale had no biological parent, Dutch would be the parent since he 'made' her. So in theory, he was her father.

The other parts of the mind struggled with the proposition but could not find any problems with the logic. It backed down and Dutch was left all alone with the logic.

He was frankly at a loss. He treated Vale as a person in her own right but he never viewed himself as her father. In his head, Vale was a being that already existed. He simply facilitated her name.

'But the gist of the matter is that you made her. You gave her a name and with that, she is a full-fledged living being, subject to emotions and instincts.' He remembered Vault saying. So he was her father. Without a doubt.

_Mind break!_

Vale looked with curiosity at her father's stunned face. He just sat there, jaw agape with an 'I am unable to process this' look on his face.

It looked so funny she giggled.

She expected this would happen. In her mind, he was already her father. No excuses and with all the things he had done for her, it cemented his position as parent figure in her mind.

But she knew that Dutch did not see it that way. The first experiences he had of her spoke of a master servant relationship and he treated her as such, albeit more kindly than such a relationship would normally permit.

However, things had changed since that first meeting and Dutch could not get the hint. So she decided to give him a little push. Love, whatever kind it was, should be a two way street, her young mind felt, and she was going to lay the foundation for the road.

Even if it did cause his to mind break...A little.

Smiling evilly, she set down the tray on the interface table and looked up at the screen. The different numbers, multiple windows as well as random colors would have looked like a puzzle to anyone else but to the entity, it made perfect sense.

She squealed in delight as she read the screen. In great joy, Vale hugged the still frozen form of Dutch. The sudden almost violent contact managed to snap Dutch out of his trance.

"Thank you thank you thank you..." Vale said repeatedly as she treated Dutch again to her inversely proportional strength. Dutch, being human, gasped as his torso was subjected to Vale's strength again.

"Can't...breathe..." He breathed out. Vale, smiling happily, lowered the pressure but did not release her grip on him. Dutch breathed in deeply and looked down at the blue haired young girl that attached herself to him.

"I see you have seen the prototype settings for you to venture outside." Dutch stated. Vale nodded and smiled as she snuggled against Dutch. Dutch winced as the entity lightly pressed against his just squeezed body.

'She has accepted you as her father. Get over it and start acting like one.' Dutch thought to himself. Maybe at a later time when he was alone, he could think this through but now's not the time for it.

"Can you not call me daddy? It makes me feel old." Dutch said as he returned Vale's hug.

"Papa!" Vale answered in a slightly teasing tone. Dutch winced at the cry.

"Not that either please."

Vale looked thoughtful as she released Dutch. She wondered but could not come up with a proper answer.

Dutch smiled. "How about simply using my name?"

Vale shook her head. "It's too normal." She said.

Dutch folded his arms . "Normal is fine for me."

Vale pouted. "No. It should be special!" She cried out, stubbornly holding on to her belief.

Dutch sighed, half in exasperation and half in humor. "Why don't you go think about it?"

Vale grinned, nodded and flew off into the room from where she came from. A glimpse through the open door yielded the sight of cooking tools and a stove.

'Now how did she get that?' Dutch wondered. A smell of food turned his attention to the plate Vale carried. On top of it was a well cooked beef steak, seared to perfection. A knife and fork lay to its side.

'Hot damn!' Dutch mentally cried out. Smiling, he reached for the utensils and dug in.

* * *

><p>Morning<p>

Dutch stood at the windows, staring at the slivers of sunlight cast by the sun cresting the horizon. He chewed on some nuts he had found in the kitchen.

As he looked, he reviewed the past events at the vault. What happened had changed his outlook, Dutch realized. It's not major but Dutch could see that the things he regarded as priority were slightly changed, some actively done by himself. Including the addition of a house.

He had come to terms with Gensokyo. There was no way he could forget and with Vale, absolutely not. So he needed a place to base himself during his short stay.

Dutch did not want to use Yukari's place because quite frankly, she would probably use the resultant favors to troll him. So it was up to him to find someone willing to help him build a place.

Perhaps he could refer to the tengu for help. They were bound to have something that could help him. But how would he contact them?

_Caw!_

Dutch looked down on the sill. A crow stood there, staring at him with intelligent eye. It had a letter stuck to its leg. Cawing, it lifted its leg and offered it to Dutch.

Dutch, curious, took the letter and opened it. Inside, there were two pieces of paper, one written on, while the other blank. There also was a small brush, fitted with a cap and small ink reservoir. Lastly, a separate compartment contained a small bejeweled golden pin carved in the form of a feather.

Dutch reached for the feather and brought it into the light. The light bounced off the gold, radiating a dull glow. The jewels sparkled in the light and as Dutch moved his finger across the feather, he noted that he had seen this before somewhere, he felt what appeared to be words etched onto the feather. Looking at the apparently valuable gift, His mind began to sift through his memories of the last couple of days. Where had he seen that feathery pin before? A flash of silvery hair like silk, intelligent eyes of a burgundy hue...Lord Tenma? He placed the gold pin in his pocket. Next, Dutch took the written piece of paper and read it.

I'm sure that you will find this letter very irregular. I personally do. However with little to turn to, I have written this letter to you. In recent time, I have been inflicted by an urge of the heart. I require help. My heart is with my people but I have been feeling the burn of adventure. I fear that if to quench this burn, I will have to leave my people and as a leader, I cannot do that. I ask you for your view, in the good faith that you will kept this matter between the two of us. Also in the package is a seal of the house of the lord of the tengu. It will grant you entry to tengu establishments and certain youkai establishments should you decide to enter them. I await your answer.

Blinking at it contents, Dutch read it again. And again.

Lord Tenma asking him for advice? What logic drives this land?

Dutch stood there for a minute. NEVER in his experience in the outside had such an occasion happen to him. Oh yes, he had been asked for his advice before but never for such a personal thing.

It was mind-boggling to say the least.

Dutch folded the paper and returned it to the letter. Taking the blank sheet of paper as well the brush and ink reservoir, he proceeded to write an answer. The crow fed on the now forgotten nuts. Dutch ignored the bird as cracks echoed. He answered while Including a bit of an extra.

* * *

><p>Dawn<p>

Sunrise

Sanae flew towards the mansion.

If the shrine guests were correct, their companion turned in this direction. If he managed to fight off the youkai, then he would have make his way here. If he had not...

She preferred not to think about it.

As she followed the road, a glint of white caught her eye. It was a beam of light from one of the sun rays, reflecting from a bone still wet with blood. She pulled a disgusted face. Gensokyo disposed its dead fast.

Then she saw the road.

Youkai skeletons, some of them in lying in pools of blood littered the mountain ground. Stripped of all their meat by scavenger youkai and birds, they lay strewn across the ground, skulls showing off macabre grins.

She counted twelve. Whoever Maribel and Renko companion was, he was good. The bodies were arranged in a loose circle as if the defender was attacked from all sides.

Sanae was partially disgusted and partially impressed by it. Disgusted because her weapons, including the lethal charms, were clean, so to speak. They left little to no mess to clean. This was messy.

She was impressed because the guy managed to bring down 12 flesh eating youkai in close combat. Sanae doubted that she could match the close combat skill this man had. Some of the skulls displayed slits as if someone had knifed through them.

Now she couldn't help but imagine that Maribel and Renko companion was a dude with a hoodie and hidden blades on his forearms. She really should lay off of the outside world technology.

Leaving the skeletons, Sanae followed the path up to the mansion. She had a good feeling. Unable to find any human skeletons among the bodies was a good sign. It meant that whoever he was managed to survive the encounter.

Coming up to the mansion, Sanae landed gently at its front door. She rang a small weathered bell hanging to the side of the doorway before entering, the procedure that Kasen had told her to do when she wanted to enter.

Inside, she headed to the dojo of the mansion where she knew Kasen would usually perform her daily mediation. As she traveled to the dojo, a flap of wings made her pause.

A crow flew out from a side door. Sanae recognized the bird as a tengu familiar from the letter tied to the legs. Curious as to what made the crow appear from the door, she took a detour to investigate.

It lead to a window, facing the rising sun. Sanae marveled at the rising ball of fire. It lit up the land in its heavenly light, the river the color of molten gold, the land a stunning fusion of green and orange. Everyday, Sanae tried to catch the sunrise, simply for the sight of the land it showed.

"Wherever you are, it never gets old, does it?" Dutch asked, hidden by the light and dark shadows of a pillar.

Sanae whirled around, surprised by the hidden outsider. She was greeted by a friendly smile.

"Dutch Kotozaki, out of place outsider." Dutch introduced.

The shrine maiden bowed. "Sanae Kochiya, mountain shrine maiden."

Dutch answered her bow with his own. "Did my companions make it?" He asked, his voice laden with concern.

Sanae gave him a reassuring smile. "They are okay. In fact, as I was leaving, they were in preparation for training."

Dutch gave a thankful nod. "Are you my pick up?" He asked.

Sanae nodded.

Dutch walked into the sunlight. "Well then, I won't want to impose on the hermit any further. I shall give her my thanks and we can be off."

* * *

><p>Mountain road<p>

Dutch walked, talking to Sanae as she flew slowly above him.

"So you are from the outside too?" He asked as the ground crunched under his boots.

Sanae nodded. "Originally. Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama could not get enough faith in the outside world so they relocated here. I was their shrine maiden and followed them."

"Do you miss the outside?" Dutch asked.

Sanae answered with a smile. "We do have technological items and Yukari gave us internet capability so I still can communicate with the outside."

"I see." Dutch returned, a thoughtful look on his face.

The pair continued up the mountain path until the roof of the shrine peaked over the road.

"So what were my lovely companions training on?" Dutch asked.

Sanae chuckled. "You'll see."

At that moment an intricate black hour hand zoomed out of the sky and struck the spot which Dutch had only seconds before vacated. Dutch looked at the pile of disturbed rock with wide eyes as Sanae grinned evilly.

"Shes not entirely pleased with your self-sacrifice." The shrine maiden cautioned just as a rain of hour hands fell around him.

Dutch took off running as hour hands pelted the area around him, exploding into small blasts of energy on impact. They all missed Sanae who watched the outsider run for the shrine, bombarded by the long range danmaku. The emerald haired shrine maiden smirked.

'If only he knew she was there.' Sanae thought.

The continuous rain of hour hands continued, some of them missing him by centimeters.

A sense of danger alerted him to the pressing need for an immediate halt, a second later a dense cluster of hour hands landed where he was about to be. More hour hands landed around him as well. Dutch looked up only to see another dense cluster fly straight for him.

'Trying to box me in! Activate fast sight!' Dutch thought.

...

_/Fastsight activated/_

...

Dutch sped through the still striking wall of hour hands in front of him. He effortlessly registered each intricate hour hand and moved in-between them, avoiding the danmaku.

To those watching, he appeared to blur through the seemingly impervious wall, somehow unscathed.

Soon, the tori gate reared up ahead of him. His attacker stood beneath it. Dutch skidded to a a stop as he regarded her with surprise.

Renko stared back, her face a picture of anger. She stood on the ground, a magical circle the shape of a clock surrounding her. As Dutch watched, another cloud of hour hands drew themselves into existance before streaking upwards.

He dived away as they rained on the place he had been standing but a second ago. He phased in his carbine but held his fire, aiming it at his companion.

"Why are you doing this?" He hissed through gulping pants.

"Why must you stand in danger for us?" Renko answered his question with another. She jumped off to the right, breaking the circle. It disappeared as Renko aimed her hand at Dutch and fired off an electric blue minute hand danmaku.

Dutch rolled out of the way of the danmaku and aimed his carbine at her. Renko launched another couple of hour hands in return and Dutch was forced to avoid the rain of contained magical energy, breaking his aim.

Renko continued her assault, firing minute hand danmaku from her hands while launching hour hand danmaku skywards and sending them back down onto the earth. Dutch had to constantly avoid both the direct and indirect fire, one coming from the ground and another from the sky. It succeeded in breaking his aim constantly, the only shots he could fire being poorly aimed.

Dutch tsked as he avoided another burst of minute hands. He needed to end this fight quickly before something happened. He glanced at his bandaged right arm. At least Kasen knew how to make herb and magic-infused bandages that prevented the wound from reopening. He need to repay the hermit one day.

Dutch phased away his carbine and materialized his anti-material rifle. At the same time, he brought in a flashbang on the other hand. He gritted his teeth as he felt the weight of the rifle pulled down on his arm and wound.

'In hindsight, I should have just brought the flashbang first.' He thought as he hooked the pin around his fingers. Dutch pulled the pin and threw the flashbang at Renko.

Renko tried to avoid the blue stun grenade but It was faster. It exploded, Renko, caught just within it's blast radius felt slightly disoriented.

She recovered in a second, turning back to Dutch. By then however, Dutch had crouched down, aimed up his rifle and looked through the scope. Renko blanched.

_BOOM!_

The last Dutch had fired the black arrow, it sent Flandre crashing through the wall. Of course, Renko was not a 500 year-old vampire. So he aimed at the ground close to her instead. It didn't stop the explosion from sending her flying.

Renko landed on the ground, groaning in pain from the impact. Dutch was no better. If firing the black arrow with its bipod attached to a solid surface hurt, then firing it crouched with just your body supporting it was a new definition of pain. He phased away the weapon and walked up to Renko.

"Interesting new danmaku." He said as he offered her his hand.


	21. Bonding activities

! According to certain countries, i can buy whatever i want. But not child porn! NO! IT IS THE EMEMY WHO WILL TASTE DEATH AND DEFEAT! I HAVE NOT FEHLED! SPESSSSSSS MEHRENS!

FASTER HARDER MEANER BETTER!

Vale:ahahaha...he has been playing too much warhammer 40k.

NO I HAVE NOT! FOR THE EMPRAH!

Vale:_*sighs* SMACK!_

Whoo...stars...

Vale:_*smiles angelically*_ Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Afternoon

Dutch had had his fair share of arguments. Some were simple ones, trivial day to day matters. Others were of far greater importance, lives hanging in the balance on the words spoken. Thankfully, he as of yet continued to remain undefeated.

So right now, as he sat on the floor trading barbs with Renko, he wondered why it was so hard to convince her.

"What's wrong with protecting you?" He fumed.

"It's wrong when you have to put yourself in danger!" Renko returned.

"The very definition of 'protecting' is to save you from harm often by defending you, which puts the protector in harm's way! I see no point in your grievance!" Dutch answered, frustrated by his pretty companion's mulish stubbornness.

Renko opened her mouth to shoot back. Maribel placed a gentle hand on her friend's and gave her a calming smile, which quietened the fiery brunette. Her friend calmed, Maribel turned to their male companion.

"What Renko is trying to convey is that we find your tendency to be in dangerous or even life threatening situations very upsetting. We both hope you could be safe." Maribel said, her calm voice defusing the tension.

"Well, it can't be helped if I'm the only one who knows how to fight among us." Dutch answered acidly, none to pleased by their reaction to his honourable actions.

_Slap!_

Dutch turned his head back, his cheek red. A hint of surprise graced his expressions, he could have sworn he had seen a very indignant Vale shaking her head at her father. Renko stood up and stalked out of the room, her hand mirroring the color on Dutch face. Maribel remained seated, her expression dripping with disapproval.

"Yep, I probably deserved that." Dutch muttered as he felt his tender cheek. Other then a slight burning and the obvious red, he was fine.

"She has always been the more headstrong of us. The pioneer of our group. She hated being sheltered. That's why she acted this way. However, that does not exempt you. Your statement, true as it is, is uncalled for." Maribel sniffed.

Dutch sighed as he read the logic behind her statement. "Very well then, I'll go apologize."

He got up and left the room heavily. Maribel sat back and took a sip from the rather cold cups of tea Sanae had left for them.

"Ummmm...May I enter?" Sanae asked as she peeked her head over the side of the sliding door.

"Yes you may." Maribel answered, smiling brightly.

* * *

><p>Mountain shrine grounds<p>

Lake Suwa

Renko stared out at the water, the surface danced ceaselessly, the afternoon sun glinting off the rippling surface. A colony of frogs swam past, ignoring the human intruder in their territory. The human in turn ignored them. Frogs were nothing compared to what she had experienced for the past few days.

Behind her, Dutch sauntered out from the trees. He stopped behind Renko, the woman making no impression that she had noticed him.

"It was a normal day. Like any other. I was on a train going to meet her. That bastard followed me." Renko said, eyes focussed on the azure waters. Dutch kept silent.

"It was not the first time he had appeared to us. I always thought that he was a stalker for her. Her blonde hair always drew men. But I didn't know that he was not as particular to blondes as I had thought." Her eyes glinting with moisture.

"He followed me after I got off the train. Waited until we were alone and then dragged me into an alley. I tried to fight back. I tried." She spoke, her voice now a ghost of a whisper as she turned to Dutch.

"He was too strong. He held me down, went for my clothing." She described, tears flowing uncontrollably down her face.

"Bastard." Dutch muttered quietly to himself, his hands clenched tightly.

"What happened?"

"I managed to hit him. He fell off. I got up and ran." Renko finished.

Dutch nodded, silent. He could not give an answer to her statement.

"At that time, I felt so helpless. So powerless. I hated that feeling. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to be able to decide what I wanted, not be some other's plaything. I learned how to fight back, to use that move." She said even as tears curtained her face in a sheen of emotion.

"And then you came along. Everything you met, you took head on. When we needed help, you were there. It was such a strange feeling. To know that at a moment's notice, someone else would put himself on the line for me. I never ever felt so protected in my life. I hated that feeling, knowing that someone else was defending me. I wanted to replace that someone with me, to lead the charge against whatever life threw at us." Renko said.

"But every time some thing dangerous came up, I could not fight back. You took on that role, without complaint. Asking nothing in return, you risked everything. Why?" Renko asked, her tears still flowing.

"Because its what I live for. No matter the cost, a life is a life. You may not win all the time but you try your hardest to win." Dutch said.

Renko smiled at his statement. "Then can you show me your hardest?" She asked as she wiped away her tears and summoned her hour hands.

Dutch chuckled gently. "I would love to."

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

The sound of battle filled the air. Sanae looked out to see black dots rising in the sky and shooting back down. It occurred to her that they were coming from lake Suwa.

"Shouldn't we go find out what's going on?" She asked as the unmistakable bark of a rifle echoed unseen beyond the wall of nearby trees.

Maribel sipped her tea demurely and smiled back at her. "And interrupt their match? That would be rude. Please, why don't you rather tell me about your time before you came here."

* * *

><p>Lake Suwa<p>

Dutch ducked behind a rock as another volley of hour hands struck the position he had vacated mere seconds ago.

Seconds later, the rock shook as hour hands struck against it's surface. Chips blew off in the face of the repeated assault but the cover stayed true to its name, holding fast.

Dutch phased in another magazine and reloaded his carbine. He threw the empty magazine away. Its chatter brought hour hands that peppered the area around the magazine.

'She's getting smart. Using her ability to pinpoint any suspicious objects that I throw away.' He thought as he got ready to run. He made a frenzied dash for the trees, leaving cover. Renko loosed a veritable storm of both minute and hour hands at him, the ground around him quickly became a roiling mass of jumping soil and grass as the blasts of energy from the dammaku blew them flying.

Dutch dived behind a tree. The shower of hour hands stopped as their wielder lost contact with her target. Dutch reviewed what had happened so far.

Renko was definitely getting smarter with her danmaku. Before, she just threw them at Dutch in her anger. Now, she tried more often to herd him into killzones where he was boxed in by the rain of hour hands and unable to escape the next volley. He also spotted hour hands that she had stopped in midair, waiting for when Dutch stopped to aim at her before firing them off at him. Combined with the minute hands that she fired if she could see him, he was at a disadvantage here.

Dutch smiled grimly. He had his own trump card ready for fire. It was time to test his latest weapon.

Renko stood ready. She fired at any sound she heard, her ability automatically processing the sound and giving her the approximate location. It was a simple matter of launching a few hour hands at that area.

She smiled wickedly to herself. It was just matter of wearing down Dutch until he made a mistake. And then she would pounce and finish him.

A rustle of leaves brought a series of numbers to her eye. She used the numbers to pinpoint the location on a mental grid of the area that her ability gave her and send a couple of hour hands to strike the right place.

That brought a clamour of sounds as the hour hands blast through the forest on their way to their target. Branches shattered under the danmaku assault and dropped. Renko face contorted at the commotion. The sounds drowned out any other noises around her.

A burst of fire from the trees made her instinctively move aside. The bolts shot past her, inches from hitting her. Renko launched off another volley of hour hands. Her actions brought another cacophony of breaking branches as the bolts again blasted through the tree canopy on their way down. The harsh din again drowned out all noise.

Renko huffed in frustration.

Dutch grinned as he watched his opponent scan the tree line for him. She was learning fast but not fast enough. He gestured and the crystal on his arm flared.

Renko turned, constantly looking for a sign of Dutch. An explosion in the forest caught her attention. As the sound faded, the sound of a tree falling punctured the air. It crashed onto the ground, the sounds echoing through out the dense grove. The noises overwhelmed her ability's capability to locate via sound as well as her sense of hearing.

Renko frowned. Why would Dutch cut down a tree. As she pondered his actions, the sound of boots on grass registered too late. She turned to see Dutch sprinting towards her, almost within touching distance. She quickly backtracked, launching hour hands and firing minute hands at her oncoming opponent.

Dutch blocked a burst with his newest weapon. It wrapped around his right hand over his glove, a hybrid fusion of armor and weapon.

A layer of armor, made out of a night-black weave coated his hand and forearm. It moved fluidly, responding to its wielder's every movement instantaneously. Over his hand, two dagger-sized blades, each a mirror image of the other, glinted in the morning sun. They were of a metal-blue hue with a pitch-black core. Royal blue lapis crystals lined the inner edge of the wrist blades. Joining the blades at the base to the armor, the vault crystal itself mirrored the color of the weave.

The minute hands struck the carapace armor and exploded in small bursts of energy. The armor did its job, protecting its owner from the blasts of energy. Dutch phased away the blades and raised his fist for a strike to end the battle.

Renko raised her arms in a futile attempt to block the blow.

_Clang!_

A long sword-sized second hand seemed to weave itself out of thin air and blocked Dutch's fist. Both were surprised by the sudden appearance. The sword broke off from the attack and went for a downward slash.

Dutch cursed as he phased in his wrist blades and countered. The two met with a clash of metal, one physical, the other magical. Both refused to budge.

Renko watched as the magical blade broke off and floated to her. She dumbly grabbed the handle of the blade and looked at it. Then realizing what she had to do, she gripped the sword tightly and charged Dutch.

Dutch parried the attack with his wrist blades. As he changed his fighting strategies to suit the new situation, he was very surprised by this sudden change of attack. He countered with a slash with the wrist blades. Renko blocked it with her sword and the fight was on.

As Renko pressed on with her advantage, she felt slightly giddy with a variety of emotions. As she wielded the blade, she realized that her body instinctively knew what to do. She was trying to understand how she could wield a sword with such skill, seeing that she had never held a sword in her life.

As he went for a quick stab, he analyzed the style of his opponent. The movements of Renko were very...mathematical. It was as if the blade was wielded by a robot with a very advanced processor. Dutch also noted that while her strikes lacked power, her moves were solid, having few flaws of any kind. Hardly the random swinging one would expect of a person holding a sword for the first time.

A stab parried by the flat edge of the sword. A counter slash blocked. Edge against edge. Both sides meeting the other with equivalent force.

Dutch tsked. While the fight was interesting, he wanted to end it as quickly as possible. He jumped away from Renko, preparing to fire his trump card.

Renko grinned. Dutch was retreating. 'I might actually win this fight.' She thought cockily as she stood ready for whatever Dutch threw at her.

Dutch grinned in kind. He gestured with his armored hand and the vault crystal responded by flaring to life. It glowed red as the lapis crystals lining the wrist blades mirrored the color. He aimed the wrist blades at Renko.

For the second time in a day, Renko blanched.

_Flash!_

The modified scarlet strike shot out in a flash of red laser. It struck Renko instantaneously, sending her flying in a blast of energy. She landed in the water with a loud splash, skipping along the surface sending the frogs into a frenzy as they hopped to avoid the sudden commotion in the lake.

Dutch phased away his armor and breathed in deep. It was an enjoyable fight. Full of surprises. He had managed to stop Renko's attack, her attempt to dissuade him from his sacrifice routine had met with failure. He had won, in his view.

"Can I get some help please?" Renko asked as she tried.. unsuccessfully, to fish herself out of the water. Dutch turned to her... and quickly averted his eyes. The wet, white cloth of her shirt clung to her and showed off her lithe body. The water also managed to diminish the light blocking capabilities of the shirt.

Meaning that not only Dutch could see clearly see Renko's body shape, he also could see through her shirt. He quickly stared at something else.

He could remember the color of her bra. So easily...

_*Insert painful head clearing moral reasserting self-inflicted injury here*_

_Smack!_

Morals. They hurt.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

The resident gods watched as the boy moved to help his female companion, plainly trying avoid looking at his companion.

"What do you think?" Kanako asked her fellow god. Her usual red shirt adorning her upper body. White were the sleeves that covered her arms and a small mirror nestled comfortably on her bosom drawing the eyes of any gazer to those very impressive assets supporting it. A long black skirt with red flower print covered her lower body. Blue hair framed her face and a pair of rose red eyes flush with godly power, stared out. Her signature rope circle shimenawa stood out behind her.

The newcomers are interesting, she had to admit but one particular one unnerved her. Dutch's slaughter of the mountain youkai, justified in self-defence, was reminiscent of the assassins that she herself had once dispatched on missions in a time long ago, but that did not unnerve her as much as his actions after the battle. The casualness of his walk, the calmness of his speech. They were more akin to a person going through his normal life than one that had just wiped out twelve youkai and sent the rest running in fear.

Suwako grinned. The loli frog goddess wore a simple purple-blue dress with frog print and white large sleeves. Medium length blonde hair flowed down Her head and grey eyes glinted with the characteristic mischievousness that was the reputation of the partner god of the Moriya shrine. Her glorious legs, the only part of her body she could really boast about, were adorned with white knee-highs and ended in a pair of grey shoes. On top of her head a brown straw hat perched jauntily its two frog eyes blinking periodically. Many people theorized that the hat was a physical manifestation of her power but few would dare try to confirm it for themselves. Her curse goddess reputation tended to dissuade people.

"Kero~ These people are connected to Yukari. That's good enough to prove that they are special. Why worry about them kero~" Suwako returned. Unlike Kanako, she was impressed by the actions of the male human. In fact, she for a while juggled thoughts of sending opponents against him. That train of thought was quickly vanquished by the appearance of Yukari who reminded her of the agreement between Mayohiga and Moriya.

Kanako growled at her fellow goddess sentiment. "I worry because Yukari just left a very dangerous killer at Moriya with Sanae in there. Don't you worry for her as well?"

Suwako laughed out loud. "Do you actually think that Yukari would let an dangerous person into Moriya that would harm any of us? Kero~ she wants allies, not enemies. And I don't think Sanae would fall so easily. You should have more faith in your own shrine maiden."

Kanako grumbled. Suwako's speech made sense. Yukari wanted allies. Or at least people that she could use if there was a emergency. Otherwise she wouldn't have even let them into Gensokyo in the first place.

"If you are wrong, it's your fault." She finally growled. Suwako grinned like a frog.

* * *

><p>Evening<p>

Moriya shrine

Dutch looked out as the dipping sun slowly entered the horizon. Unlike its morning incantation, it left a red hue across the land. The ground aglow with lively red and the waters offering a mirror image of the great orb of fire in the sky.

As he watched, a presence behind him made him pause. Radiating power, the presence simply stayed there, neither bothering or ignoring him. Dutch steadfastly continued to look out. Let the other make the first step.

"The sight is beautiful, is it not?" The presence spoke with a powerful woman's voice, awash with power.

"It would be foolish to say no, Ma'am." Dutch answered. He turned around to see Kanako standing behind him, looking down upon him. She smiled to his speech.

"Ma'am? A strange way to address an elder being." Kanako answered. She had been warned by Yukari that Dutch tended to treat people differently than even the standard outsider but to be addressed with a ma'am? That was very different indeed.

Dutch shrugged. "I don't like using honorifics and using your name would be plain rude. This is the best way I came up to address you. If you don't approve, I can't help you."

Kanako eyes sharpened. She started radiating pure raw power. The air turned cold and the clouds, once scattered, now condensed together into a single mass, growling with lightning power. The sky rolled in turmoil and a howl of wind filled the air.

Dutch stood steadfast in this display of godly power. Even as the wind howled around him and the sky rumbled above him, he was an oasis of composure, calm and unmoving.

After a minute of display, Kanako finally ceased her power. The winds returned to normal and the clouds spread back to their scattered formations. Her eyes returned to their original look.

"It's sufficient." She said before leaving.

Dutch blinked and let out the breath he was holding. Dear god, even through he was not afraid of the rain goddess, that display was slightly unnerving. At least he managed to retain a calm exterior.

"kero~ Scary isn't she?" Suwako asked from his side, squatting frog-like next to Dutch.

Dutch snapped his head around. When had she appeared there?

Suwako smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. If she does that then she has accepted you. You will be fine here Kero~."

Dutch nodded, his mouth either incapable or unwilling to function properly. The frog goddess hopped on to the ground and started to sink into it. Her hat, the last to be absorbed into the soil, gave him a blink before finally disappearing.

Weird.

Dutch sat on the porch, processing what had just happened. Unable to find some resemblance of sense in what just happened, he decided to return back to the setting sun. At least that did not do logic breaking actions.

An hour later, when the sky had darkened and the stars shone brightly, Maribel went out to find her companion. She had swapped her clothing for a green blouse that Sanae had lend her. She found Dutch, still sitting on the porch, looking out at the starry night sky.

"Dutch, dinner is ready. You want to come in?" She asked him. Dutch nodded and got up. As he took one last look, a trio of falling stars caught his eyes. Strangely enough, they fell in a rough triangle shape, blazing though the night sky. His eyes narrowed as he watched them on their journey earthward.

"Is something wrong?" Maribel asked as she caught Dutch staring at the falling stars. Dutch turned his attention away from the stars and gave Maribel a smile.

"No." He answered as he entered the shrine. Maribel gave the stars, still engaged in their one way trip to the ground one last look before following Dutch.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

Tengu palace

Tenma clutched the letter with thinly veiled eagerness.

She wondered why she awaited this particular letter with so much anticipation. Was it because it was written by a human to a youkai? Or perhaps it was for a different reason?

No, she told herself. It was simply because it held advice for herself. Yes, that was it, she answered herself, and nothing else. The self doubting part of her felt appeased...for now, by the answer and quietened down.

She sat down on her bed and opened the letter. The crinkle of paper filled the air as she shakily unfolded the letter.

I find this letter highly irregular myself. Such an event would never happen in the outside world. I have gone through what you ask and have decided to answer it frankly. If it has survived for a thousand years under your leadership, it can definitely survive for a few weeks without it. Every leader has the right to take a break once in a while and I believe yours is long overdue. Tell your advisers to manage the village while you are gone, that is after all their job. I recommend that you go in disguise to avoid suspicion. You wouldn't want to draw attention to yourself. Just leave for a while and relax. You could find that the benefits will outweigh leaving for a few days. I expect when I see you again, that you, your beautiful self will be more relaxed and in much higher spirits.

Ps: I am currently involved in the stages for planning for a dwelling for me to settle down in. Would you know of any way that can make this endeavor easier?

Tenma blushed as she read the ending of the main portion once, then twice and finally one more time just to be certain that the ending had said what she thought it had said. Beautiful self? That flattering human, she screamed into her pillow in ecstacy and flailed her feet like a fledgeling in love. When she read the second part, she was half tempted to write back that he could stay at the palace. Before she knew it, her hand was reaching for a writing brush to write the offer down.

What was she doing?

With aching restraint,Tenma stopped herself. Such actions were unbecoming of the Tengu Boss. It spoke of impulsiveness. She growled in frustration. Right now,for once, she hated her position. It meant that she had to choose her answer carefully to reflect her reputation and right now, she could not choose any answer that would be a good reflection of that position.

As she threw herself back onto her bed, she wondered about Dutch. What was the human doing? Was he safe?

Now she felt like sending a squad of white wolf tengu to guard him.

What was she thinking now?

Tenma hit herself with a pillow to refresh her thoughts. At the same time, she cursed Dutch for plaguing her thoughts.

Damn him!

* * *

><p>Gensokyo mountain ridges<p>

The trio of assassin drones landed earth side.

They chattered in their clicking manner, each passing information to the other until they were fully briefed on their mission. As they spoke, a clatter of rocks made them jerk up their arms, wrist shooters humming.

From the shadows cast by the stones, a man rose out. Decked in onyx armor, with flowing cloth that helped to break his shape, he looked at the trio of golems with red glowing slit pupils.

"Do you have a message from our mutual benefactor?" A cultured and dark voice asked.

The lead golem nodded. The man grinned inside his armor. In a flurry of wispy cloth, the man slashed the ground with a sword of black fire. The ground split open into a portal and the man entered. The drones followed him, their magic assisted legs making no noise on the rocky ground.


	22. A battle of mind and machine

**SURPRISE! ME BACK!**

**Ehehehe. A lot of stuff happened and posting this chapter was delayed. But i managed to smash out a couple of more chapters. Just need to throw them through the proofing cycle.**

**Zis one is full of fighty goodness.**

**SO SATE YOUR THIRST FOR BATTLE!**

**BIG THANKS GOES TO Ban3 for this and the last chapter!**

**Oh and Sweebation for helping me when i had a mid-story crisis.**

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

The energy faded as Dutch stepped off the platform and into the vault.

_Tackle!_

Dutch yelled out in surprise as an angry Vale smashed into him. He tried to push his daughter off but got a mouthful of wing for his trouble. Vale started to squeeze hard, using her strength to compress Dutch's body.

Still attempting to fight off the entity, Dutch lightly bit down on Vale's wing. She yelped and let go. Spitting out crystalline feathers he gulped in a mouthful of oxygen before shifting into a sitting position. He savoured the feeling of breathing.. It felt wonderful.

Vale checked her wings methodically for any visible damage. Finding none, she gave them an experimental flap and pouted indignantly.

"That was mean. What you said to them." She said as she sat down in front of Dutch, her wings tucked in behind her back.

Dutch sighed. "But it was true. Besides, all was forgiven in the end."

Vale shook her head stubbornly. "Not by me."

"So what do you want?" Dutch glanced askance at her, slightly amused by the strong sense of justice his daughter displayed.

Vale thought for a second before adopting a playful grin. She launched herself at Dutch, her anger already gone. Wrapped her arms around him she crushed her parent with a suffocating hug.

Her victim sucked in his breath. He maneuvered his hand to her side and tickled. Vale convulsed as her sensitive side was assaulted by Dutch's fingers.

It became an endurance battle, both sides attempting to hold off the other. Finally Vale gave up. She relaxed her hands, laughing as her resolve crumbled under her father's relentless assault.

Dutch released his breath and sucked in a fresh one. He continued his assault, now using his hand on both of Vale's sensitive sides. The entity laughed under his attack, her once crushing arms now turned into a gentle hug.

After minutes of joyful laughter, Dutch finally stopped. Vale's laughter subsided as she relaxed against Dutch, her arms still around him. The two lay there on the entry platform, silently resting.

"How did getting bitten on your wing feel?" Dutch asked as he stroked Vale's silken hair.

Vale's cheeks lit up in a gentle blush; "Well, it actually felt kinda...good. Like tickle good."

Dutch grinned evilly, leaned over and started to lightly nibble on Vale's wing.

"Ah! Please, st...! Yelp!" Vale gasped as Dutch continued his assault on her wing. His hands moved of their own accord and now Vale was besieged from three sides. She moaned and yelped as Dutch continued his playful attack on her senses.

Finally, Dutch released Vale from her torture. As she panted, she affixed her eyes on her father.

"That's not fair." She complained.

Dutch, who was now finding out the cons of nibbling on a wing, spat out the last of the crystalline feathers that stuck to his mouth. He gave Vale a victorious smile.

"It's revenge for mind breaking me." He answered. Vale giggled and launched herself for a second hug. Dutch returned it with equal force and again, the two just lay there, holding each other.

'Amazing. I have never had any thought of fatherhood and yet it feels so natural.' Dutch reflected as he pulled Vale closer. The entity was all the more happier.

"So have you decided your special name for me?"

Vale grinned from cheek to cheek; "Da-ko!" She giggled shyly, her foot tracing circles on the crystalline floor.

Dutch chuckled. "As in hug?"

The crystal winged girl nodded emphatically, a healthy glow continuing to paint her face.

"Yes, but I like it because 'Da' is for dad and 'Ko' is for Kotozaki, so Dako!"

"What a cute name from my silly, adorable daughter, I love it!" He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Vale beamed radiantly. She gave Dutch a loving peck on the cheek and got off him. Smiling happily, she lifted him up and gave him a final arms-around-the-neck hug before flying off, giggling, into the adjacent room.

"Silly, adorable daughter? You accepted her pretty quickly." Vault intoned as it appeared from under the platform.

Dutch gave the orb a sharp look, his prior happiness hidden. "She has already accepted me. It would be foolish not to reciprocate the feeling." He had come to regard the orb with a hint of disdain. It's continued secrecy made him rather suspicious. Although some would say it was his fatherly sense tingling he still did not trust it.

The orb moved sagely, as if nodding in agreement. "Very well, its interesting to continue watching you. At least you provide an alternative to the violence and death that the last owners brought. On another note, I do find the new project you are working on interesting. Using the assassin drone armor as a basis for a suit. Not something your average man or youkai could think of."

Dutch got up and sat on the chair in front of the interface. He turned to face the orb. "Well, current human armor provides minimal if any protection against magic and appropriate magical armor is either far too large or far too advanced for me to use effectively. The drone armor was a compromise between speed and protection and would be perfect for me. Not to mention since its linked to the vault, I can phase it in less than a second should the situation require it."

The young man's shoulders slumped, disappointment evident.

"I seem to have hit a snag though. I need more material for the suit. The vault can't replicate a full set of armor without causing catastrophic structural failure for some unfathomable reason and I need more than one drone to find out why."

Vault changed color. "Well for the structural failure part, it's because you designed the armor into a weave. The original was just a series of layers on top of each other. You will need at least a full drone to experiment on to get the best solution. Something you should acquire soon enough, am I not right?"

Dutch narrowed his eyes. "How would you know?"

Vault laughed knowingly. "My dear fleshling, I see what you see. We both know that those falling stars are not falling stars. Question is what do you plan to do about them? I recommend taking all three for yourself. They will provide useful material."

Dutch nodded at the logic of the action.

Vault started to fade away but stopped. "And, please, come back from this fight. It would shatter the child if you were to die."

Dutch stared as the orb faded into nothing.

* * *

><p>Mountain side<p>

Night

The black portal opened silently. Three Assassin drones emerged, the inherent magic in their armor canceling out the sounds of their passage. Clicking to each other, they leapt onto an outcrop and began their ascent up the mountain. Their target was at the very top, in some sort of compound that radiated power.

As they climbed, a mountain youkai, the battle from the day before still fresh on its mind, awakened from its slumber by the intruders in its territory, picked itself up and snarled at the golems.

The golems, programmed to ignore all distractions, carried on their upwards journey, disregarding the infuriated youkai.

Angry at the intruders for encroaching further into it's territory, the youkai increased the volume of its snarls. Any lesser being would have stopped to reconsider its path but the golems halted only for a second, heads tilted curiously, as if unable to understand why the youkai would react that way, before continuing on their journey.

Now out of options and reacting like a wild youkai should, the defender charged the drones. It's claws glinted wickedly in the night light as they flew towards the artificial constructs.

Bad mistake.

Unlike the previous vanquished drone which had only been equipped with the standard load out, these golems came armed with specially designed equipment, just for this occasion. Extra programs ran in their head, essential for efficient use of their weapons. This particular assassin group had never lost a prey in their centuries of service for the lunar houses. They were the lunar civilization's very best.

The youkai stood no chance.

Before it even reached it's targets, a bolt of energy shot up and smashed into its arm, blowing off it's claws. A blade that glowed in the darkness sent the other claw oon a journey to join its brother as the blade separated the claw from its arm in one, clean slice.

Crying out loudly in pain, the youkai started to back away quickly. It whimpered as blood flowed uncontrolled from its amputated hands. It stumbled back as fast as it could, all thoughts of revenge forgotten as it attempted to flee from its aggressors.

A pity its actions made the golems designate it as a target.

The last golem readied its right arm, aimed and fired a shot. The bright beam flew true, striking the youkai in the back. The deathly magic in the beam destroyed the youkai's life force and sent its soul to the Sanzu river. The body dropped and ceased moving.

The golems continued on their journey. By dawn, the scavengers would clean up the mess.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Renko pulled herself up from her futon.

For some reason, she could not sleep. Whether it was the unfamiliarity of the shrine or just plain bad luck, she could not shut her eyes and head off into the world of dreams. Huffing in frustration, she stood up and tapped her upper lip in thought. Maybe some fresh air would help.

As she left the room, an empty futon lying rumpled on the gloomy floor caught her eye. Looking at it, she wondered why it was there.

Wait, wasn't that Dutch's one?

Renko frowned pensively. Now where had that guy gone now?

Growling to herself in agitation she headed to the door. If that dumb guy was not anywhere near the door, she was going to hit him. She looked out, surveying the shrine clothed in darkness.

It appeared she would be hitting him after all. The only signs of life she could perceive in the oppressive silence of the shrine were the frogs croaking in the distant lake. Unless she could speak amphibian, she could not find out where he was.

Grinding her teeth at the stubborn young man, Renko vowed to wait for him to return. He had better have a good explanation for her when he returned. She told herself this matter of factly as she sat in wait.

* * *

><p>Lake Suwa<p>

The golems ignored the frogs' croaks as they reached the water obstacle charted in their programming. They started along its edge, preferring to go around the lake than through it. As they carried on their journey, they kept their audio sensors on the highest level, attempting to pierce through the noisy frogs croaking. They watched the grove tree line with anticipation.

_Boom!_

The muffled 14.5mm bolt flew straight down on its journey, the report of its gunshot silencing the softer frog croaking. The drones reacted to the shot, spinning to avoid the shot. Their bodies turned swiftly, attempting to dodge the converted bullet.

But the shot was faster. It struck and exploded against the barrier shield of the lead golem. The shield flashed into existence as it tried to counter the powerful forces in the bolt. Magic tore against magic in an epic struggle for supremacy.

Finally, the shield won out. The bolt explosion dissipated against the erratically flickering shield, the magic spreading into the air like a flower opening. The golems clicked furiously as they searched for the source of the shot.

One of the other golems, pulling the source of the shot from its memory, summoned a ball of energy. Three orbs came out from the ball and shot off, saturating the area of the forest when the shot came from. Three small explosions lit up the grove.

The golems closed in on the spot, expecting to find a dead body. The flickering shield of the lead golem now consolidated back to a solid almost transparent shield, albeit more visible than its partners. It slashed away the branches in its way with fury, its arms a blur of motion as its molecular-sharp blade effortlessly sliced its way through the wood.

At ground zero, small craters occupied by small blue fires showed where the orbs had struck the ground. The surrounding undergrowth was riddled with black, indicators of where the less developed plant life fell victim to the life destroying energies that 'splashed' out when the orbs exploded.

The golems growled, a series of clicks which in some odd way managed to sound annoyed passed between them as they searched for a body. The golems screeched in frustration as they tore through the dead undergrowth, their search yielding nothing.

Then one of the golems managed to knock over an object that had been rooted to the ground. The object gave off a metallic ping when the drone struck it. Curious, the golems clustered around the object, their visual sensors at their maximum for better definition.

The object lit up glowing a crimson red. The exposed claymore mine faced the drones, ready to unleash 500 pallets of hell onto the assassin constructs.

Around them, more red lights lit up. they faced a hodgepodge of directions, some not even facing the right area, the claymore mines nevertheless covered the entire region of the grove that the drones were in. The golems clicked in panic as they realized their situation.

A burst of static at the golems' feet drew their sensors from the "panorama of doom" to a small device wedged securely inside a tree root. A handheld radio, the contraption lit up as it played out static. The static petered out into a recognizable voice, a triumphant tone filled his voice as he delivered a single, three word remark.

"Nice try suckers."

A trio of screeches echoed through the grove before being drowned out by a symphony of explosions.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

At the same time

Renko frowned as she sat waiting for Dutch.

That damn young man still had not returned from gods knows what he was doing. She was tempted to go out and look for him but she did not know where he was and she would rather not get lost on the mountain. Thus she waited, testily, for him to return.

After waiting for a couple more minutes, She finally decided to return to her room to rest. Tomorrow, she would deliver her vow to him.

Then a muffled boom hit her ears. Renko turned around to see a burst of light bathe lake Suwa in a piercing glow. The light faded and darkness returned to the lake.

Renko turned and ran towards the lake. What ever just happened, she was sure that Dutch was in the thick of it. As her lean legs ate up the distance, a trio of smaller explosions lit up the grove. She increased her speed as she wondered what was happening up ahead.

As she started to entered the grove, a series of explosions rocked the area. Renko fell behind a tree as fire and energy pellets flew around her. She closed her ears to avoid the deafening sounds, involuntarily whimpering in terror as the exploding claymore mines did their job, each sending 500 pallets in a the direction they were set to. Trees broke as the barrage of pallets blasted through the trunks, creating a cacophony of exploding mines and falling trees.

Finally, the storm ended. Renko got up from her position and approached the blast zone on unsteady legs. She expected to find Dutch there, since that was the only place of mention in the grove.

As she approached the area, a sense of foreboding became increasingly prominent. The darkness and confined space in the grove added to the feeling as well. Visibility was poor due to the trees and the darkness made it nigh impossible to see what was meters in front of her.

A falling tree made her pause. The plant should have fallen with a loud crack but instead fell with the sound of wood sliding over wood and continued as it journeyed down to earth. It landed with a crash of leaves.

Renko's expression darkened. What could cause the tree to fall that way? She wondered about this and feeling curious, approached the tree, checking for marks.

At the severed point of the trunk, the wood had been cleanly cut through in a flawless line. So flawless in fact that when Renko touched it, the wooden felt smooth, as if someone had carefully filed the wood away to a fine smoothness.

Renko summoned her sword. She held it up, looking around for what made the slice.

From the darkness, three dots of lights lit up ominously.

* * *

><p>Lake Suwa<p>

Another part of the grove

Dutch smirked as the mines exploded.

The drones fell for it so easily. It was a simple matter to fire a shot at a pre-prepared position and quickly relocate before the drone got a fix on his position. The motion sensor equipped mines ensured that he would know when the drones entered the trap zone. After that, it had been a simple matter of pressing the button.

Even through his trap was successful, Dutch was not entirely sure that the drones were down for the count. His earlier battle told him of the golems' defensive capabilities and he was sure that they were still alive, albeit rather down-at-the-heels thanks to the trap.

As he unslung his carbine and gripped the pistol grip with his carapace armored right hand, he stepped out of the shadows offered by the trees of the grove into the night light. The frogs kept silent after the explosions and it seemed that they did not want to cause any more sound. More likely, they had fled the area.

As he approached the trap zone, a scream pierced the forest. Dutch froze as he recognized the voice of Renko. Pushing himself into action, he bounded towards the cry, his arms holding the rifle firmly in his grip.

He cursed the sudden change. Of all the things to go horribly wrong, it had to be her.

Dutch aimed his right arm up and fired into the air. The three bolts flew into the shot, providing a beacon for everyone to head to.

Renko burst out of the darkness of the trees, the three drones hot on her heels. Each one of the golems looked different, both in their weapons and appearance.

The lead golem was armed with a silver sword with inscriptions etched into it. It glowed faintly with a soft blue light and grass near the sword withered as the life destroying energy radiating from the sword annihilated them from existence. The golem itself was a sleek, stealthy black. Light glinted off its armor, a construction of sharp edges and sleek lines. Unlike its former counterpart, it had not been armed with ranged weapons, foregoing them for the sword.

'Interesting. A purification blade. Those are notoriously difficult to build and equally difficult to use in battle. Youngling, you must have made quite a impact among the lunar nobles. To warrant such a weapon used against you is viewed as an actual honor on the moon.' Vault said, its upbeat voice contradicting its words.

'Really now. I would rather they used a normal blade.' Dutch grumbled as he shifted his attention to the next golem.

This golem appeared a mirror opposite of the first one. Halfway down its right forearm, the metal gave way to a large rifle. The rifle, befitting a creation of the lunar civilization, looked as much a decoration as a weapon, at least when compared to Dutch's carbine. Protrusions rarely broke the outline of the weapon and silver light ran down the centre of the barrel. Its wielder was painted in a dark grey which seemed to cause light to literally fall into it. It's single-eyed head had what appeared to be a camera attached to it, its eye changed color as it looked at Dutch. The drone's armor had a flat, bulky look.

'Wow! A railgun! The last entry I have noted that it was in the prototype stage. If you factor in the very long time it takes for Lunarians to get things done, this would be in the completed but expensive stage of its production. The nobles have really pulled out the big guns on you.' Vault continued, sounding impressed from the tone of its voice.

'Just how long ago is this entry?' Dutch asked as he calculated the odds of taking on the drone. If it went by current human railgun prototypes, it at least would be able to shoot through him and onwards. Whatever happens, don't get hit by that thing.

'Using the timeline of humanity...carry the 4 and rounding off to the nearest thousand, we are talking 9600 BC here. Thats the last entry.' Vault answered.

'Holy crap, that is long. Why the hell does it take 11614 years to properly develop a railgun? We got prototypes right now.' Dutch answered, mind blown by the amount of time spent developing the weapon.

'Ah well, Lunarians tend to put off their projects and leave them to a later date...which can take up to decades or centuries before they restart them. Not to mention there was an event at the same time that set back their research by a large degree. So indeed, their research projects can take a VERY long time to complete. Combine that with the fact that there is very little magnetic research that the Lunarians have done and the inability of magic to generate the power required to actually constitute a railgun while having a small portable form and you have a reaaaalllyyyy long time to wait.' Vault explained, slightly embarrassed by the inefficiency of its creators.

'Why would they have little research into magnetism?' Dutch practically yelled. It seemed so mind-blowing that the Lunarians would not have researched magnetism, a fundamental component of the universe.

'Well they have magic for a reason. It substitutes for almost all scientific purposes in their civilization. And why would they waste time on something that is essentially useless to them. Also, unlike human railguns, the lunar version propels magical bolts, not projectiles. But they do the same job.' Vault explained.

'I see. That makes good sense.' Dutch muttered as he took in the next.

The last golem was armed with a wrist shooter and claws configuration on its right hand and looked no different than its dead counterpart. It's accompanying claws had all been lengthened to blade-length and the wrist shooter looked more like a mini-Gatling gun, down to the three barrels that glowed with power. On its left hand was what seem to be an emitter device of some sort. As Dutch watched, two balls of energy emerged from the device. They flew to either thigh of the drone and attached themselves there. There, they turned into cones, which, after flaring brightly, lifted the drone into the air, where it hovered.

'Haha! Unbelievable. They sent a manipulator-class golem to bring you down! Those are the most dangerous class of golem that exists! Youngling, you must obtain all three golems. Not only will they provide useful material for your armor project, they all contain devices that are powerful.'

Dutch grunted. The problem with Vault's advice was not getting killed by them first. Although all the golems looked worse for wear, especially the one holding the sword. Its barrier shield flickered erratically and it's armor seemed damaged.

While the conversation was going on, Renko had tripped over a root and sprawled into the ground. Dutch ran to her and helped her up. After checking her injuries and finding none, he favoured her with a critical eye.

"You're not supposed to be here." He said as he slowly backed away from the drones, Renko following his action. He raised his carbine and aimed at the three of them, constantly cycling through targets. He clicking his rifle safety off, which turned the bolts, he fired into lethal ones.

"Neither are you." Was Renko answer as she summoned her danmaku. The blue hour hands danmaku and second-hand sword contrasted with the black night.

"Touché. You probably want explanations. I'll offer them after we have dealt with these... Aberrations." Dutch quipped as he phased in a dagger bayonet for his carbine.

"I'll hold you to that." Renko retorted.

The three golems looked at the targets. They had faced more than one person during their service but rarely of those of sufficient power to challenge them. No matter. They would finish these targets much as they had always have done.

On an unheard command, the trio launched themselves at the two humans. Dutch fired off a burst only to watch it impact against the flickering shield of the sword golem. He cursed as he realized the inadequacy of his weapon against the sword golem.

"You take the sword one. I handle the rest." He said as he shifted targets. Renko nodded and launched herself at the sword golem. Both met with a clang of swords.

Renko gasped as she felt the presence of the purification blade. It washed over her, a power that drained her very life force, making her actions seem harder. Gritting her teeth, she committed herself to the attack, throwing everything she had into the battle.

Dutch picked up on the gasp but could not turn to find out why. He had problems on his own end. As he avoided a beam of rail-accelerated magic projectile, he turned his fire on the flying golem, peppering its shield with bright energy bullets.

The drone countered with a burst from its Gatling wrist shooter, the weapon spraying out bright bolts of its own in a dull buzz, the rate of fire was so great it could never be matched by anything Dutch had.

The spray of bright danmaku chewed out the ground around Dutch.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Maribel's eyes flickered open, her mind still groggy with the cobwebs of sleep.

As she glanced around sleepily, wondering why she was torn from dreamland, she realized something.

She was the only one in the room.

Wondering why this was the case; her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of battle drifting through the door. Curiously, Maribel raised herself and tiptoed to the door, peeking outside.

Bursts of light lit up lake Suwa. Even as she watched, a blue bolt rose from the ground and rammed itself toward the ground.

Recognizing the danmaku, Maribel hurriedly shook herself awake and ran out the door.

* * *

><p>Lake Suwa<p>

It was not going well.

Dutch ducked back behind a rock as another burst of bolts chewed into the ground. As he leaned back against the granite, a sense of danger made him move aside.

_CRACK!_

A beam of light blasted through the rock, leaving a hole the shape of a perfect circle in its wake. The beam continued, only stopping when it struck the ground.

Dutch reloaded and analyzed the situation. At the current moment, he was stuck. If he went out of cover, the flying golem would cut him down. If he stayed in cover, sooner or later, the railgun wielding golem would get lucky and blast him in half through the rock.

He needed something to bring the situation into his favor and he needed it fast.

At least the golems were keeping their attention on him only. If they were to target Renko as well, this would be a very short fight.

Renko was not having the same thoughts.

She blocked another swing and counter attacked with a slash. The drone skillfully avoided the blade and stepped back, taunting her with its sword.

Renko did not rise to the bait. She was exhausted from the fight. The purification blade constantly sapped the energy out of her, making it hard to even lift the sword.

But lift she did because she knew if she failed, she would die. She stood her ground, waiting for the golem to make her move.

It charged at her, bring its sword in a smash. Reno tried to lift her sword but she suddenly lost all energy. She stared helpless as the blade descended.

Then a hail of rainbow bolts flew out of the forest and peppered the weak barrier shield of the golem. It collapsed under the assault, the last few bolts slamming into the armor of the golem. It was enough to bring the golem off balance. Instead of cleaving Renko on half, it passed her and sunk into the ground. Renko turned her eyes to her savior.

Coming out of the forest, her face resolute, Maribel fired another burst of danmaku. It peppered the Golem's armor again. It screeched in anger at the upstart human that dared to attack it.

The screech drew the attention of the other golems. They turned to their partner, taking their attention off Dutch for a second.

That was more then enough for Dutch to phase in his anti-material rifle. He aimed up at the flying golem, now halted in position, as it turned its attention to it's other.

_BOOM!_

The 12.7 bolt traveled the distance faster then the sound of the shot. By the time the golem heard the shot, it was already experiencing a one-way trip to the ground, it's flight capabilities temporarily damaged by the powerful shot.

The other golem turned back. It quickly brought up its railgun and aimed it at Dutch. By that time, Dutch was already ready to fire.

_BOOM! CRACK!_

The two shots collided together and exploded. Smoke from the explosion covered the two combatants, obscuring each other from view. The golem stepped back, attempting to get out of the cloud to get a clear shot. It's footsteps sounded through the night, the magic supposed to hide their sound the first to go from the explosion.

Out of the smoke, the golem aimed around for targets. As it aimed around, a shot smashed into its shield. The golem was thrown back by the sudden attack. It tumbled across the ground.

Dutch strolled out of the smoke, visibly wincing. Firing three consecutive black arrow shots was a new record for him and his arm paid the price. It was wrought with pain and extremely sore. Dutch happily phased away his anti-material rifle and unslung his carbine.

The golem picked itself up. It was hurt by the double whammy of the black arrow and it's barrier shield had been destroyed. It picked itself up, struggling to bring its railgun to bear.

Dutch had better ideas.

He fired a burst. The triple bolts smashed into the drone and caused it to stumble back. Dutch fired again and the drone collapsed, now keening in mechanical desperation. Dutch mercilessly fired burst after burst at the golem until it stopped dead.

As he reloaded his carbine, his other opponent, having recovered from the blast, charged at him from behind, using its flight to keep it just above the ground. It swiped its claws viciously at Dutch's head; ready to avenge it's counter-part.

Dutch whirled from the fizzling remains of the downed drone and blocked the swipe with his bayonet. He pushed with all his might and shoved away the drone. He then phased away his carbine and phased in his wrist blades.

The drone went for another attack, stabbing straight ahead, Dutch seamlessly avoided the stab and went for his own stab. He plunged his wrist blades into the eye-slots of his opponent.

The golem screeched and took off, Dutch still hanging on by his blades. Blinded, it flew around erratically.

Dutch held on for dear life as the drone careered around randomly. He expected the drone to drop dead, not get blinded. He hoped that the drone did not fly into something hard and held on, trying to rip out his wrist blades.

Back at the other battle, the fighting had become pretty much one-sided. While hurt none too badly by the combat, the golem was being forced to split its attention between two opponents. Often, a chance to attack was interrupted by either a hail of danmaku or a waiting sword.

As another wave of rainbow and hour and minute hand danmaku peppered it armor, it finally had enough. Gathering the power in its embellished sword, it concentrated the power to the tip, where it condensed into a white ball of energy. It pointed the sword downward and plunged it into the ground.

A wave of purity rushed out, a ripple on a pond's glistening surface. As it washed over Maribel and Renko, All power to their limbs fled from their forms, the result of the purity interfering with their impure bodies. They watched as the golem approached, it's sword held triumphantly in its hand.

It raised its sword over Maribel, ready to cleave the blonde in half. At the peak of its rise, the sword hummed with power as if hungry for the life it was about to take.

Then the combined mass of man and erratically flying drone plowed into it. The trio skimmed across the ground, leaving a groove in the earth as a mark of their journey.

Dutch finally managed to rip out his wrist blades. He released himself from the drone and rolled across the ground. Finally, he came to a stop, battered by the experience but ready to continue the fight.

The two golem stopped a bit further than him. The flying golem was dead, unable to withstand the punishment of the jarring crash landing. The sword wielding golem was close to death too. It's internal systems had been heavily damaged by the impact with its compatriot and it struggled to even lift its own sword.

Dutch walked up to the drone and stared at it in the face. The drone clicked in contempt at the humans that managed to defeat it. Then, in a final act of sacrifice, it stabbed itself with the inscribed sword. The dead weight of the armor crashed onto the ground.

Dutch looked in puzzlement at the drone's actions then remembered the first time he fought it. At the same time, all three bodies flashed before lighting up radiantly.

_Hum..._

'Shit! Vault! I need the drones captured now!' Dutch yelled as the ominous humming started.

'All right. Capturing drones now. Don't worry, you will be fine.' Vault said as three tendrils came out of the crystal. They all reached for a different golem, one of them reaching across the lake to touch the golem packing a railgun. Then, at an unspoken signal, all three tendrils absorbed the golems. Their task done, they returned back to the crystal.

Dutch looked at his crystal, glowing with blue light. He sucked in a long breath of air and turned to a rapidly approaching Renko, her face as impassive as an especially large, granite boulder.

_Whack!_

Dutch gritted his teeth as Renko hit his injured shoulder. It was as if she had developed an uncanny ability to sense where he hurt the most. He breathed through his teeth as pain bloomed in his shoulder; he stared at her, his glare accusing his attacker.

"You owe us an explanation, young man." Renko asserted, her face set in grim determination.

Dutch could only nod pitifully. It hurt too much to do anything else.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Kanako sighed and finally released the door.

"Fine, you can now go." She said. Sanae gave her a bow before leaving to attend to the returning three.

It may have made her own shrine maiden angry but Kanako believed it was for the best. She wanted to see the ability of the people that Yukari sheltered for herself. Thus she had locked Sanae in the same room with herself to prevent her from interfering.

As she watched Sanae meeting with the outsiders, she wondered how these people would change Gensokyo. She had no doubt that they would change it, just unsure about how the changes would happen.

Well, there could be no better solution than to see it for herself.


	23. Revelations for the future

**YAGAWAGA!**

**Enjoy. Oh and dont forget to RNR. Your comments are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Night

The four humans sat down around the table, each holding a steaming cup of green tea. Each had questions and the need for answers on their minds.

"So, care to explain everything that has happened to us.. and you?" Renko asked.

Dutch sighed heavily. He knew that sooner or later he would have to tell his companions about the Lunarians and their designs for him but he did not expect for the cat to be out of the bag so quickly.

"Very well, I'll tell you. But first, I have to request that Sanae leave the room. The information that I have is highly dangerous to possess. It would be in your best interest to leave the room." Dutch placed specific emphasis on the danger.

Sanae opened her mouth to protest but stopped. She understood the underlying reason behind his words and decided to comply with his wishes. Bowing, she stood up reluctantly and left the room.

Renko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What is so important that you would request our host to leave the room?"

"The dangerous kind. Yukari, I presume that you are listening. I need your support to hide this conversation." Dutch called out. To be truthful, he did not know without a doubt that the gap youkai was truly there but past experiences told him that she would not avoid watching him tangle with dangerous enemies.

"My my~ So eager to ask for my assistance. But I see your point. The room is sealed. No one outside can hear anything." Yukari's voice rang out. Dutch nodded in thanks and refocused his attention on his companions.

"What were those things?" Maribel asked.

"Magically animated drones similar to the ones we encountered in the outside. They were equipped with powerful weapons and their one and only purpose is to assassinate. And before you say anything, yes, I am the target." The young man had anticipated the question before it was even spoken.

"Why?" Renko asked. Such a simple word and yet it asked for so much.

Dutch prepared himself. One simply does not tell his companions that he managed to piss off a super advanced civilization without preparation.

"Apparently I have something the controllers of the drones want. Something that they are willing to kill to retrieve." He decided to hide the lunar aspect of the problem as long as he could. It would keep them safe.

"Why don't you just give it them?" Maribel frowned in consternation.

"It won't matter. They want both me and the object in question." Dutch answered.

"It's that glove isn't it." Maribel appeared to have figured out quite a bit all by herself.

Dutch simply nodded. "Yes it is. Which comes to the second part of the explanation."

He took a deep breath. "In a month, they will be coming to meet me. After that, I will be returning with them to their realm. At best, I will be gone for an extended period of time. Worst case scenario... I will die and you will never see me again. I place my bet on the worst outcome as the more likely possibility."

Renko and Maribel froze at his statement.

"B...b...but why? Why would you die?" Renko spluttered, shocked by the revelation. It always was the death that you could see coming that garnered more reaction.

"Because they have a rather negative view of everything that is not similar to them. They are actually kind of like a space Nazi." Dutch said, hoping that his joke would alleviate the atmosphere.

Seeing how Maribel was trying to cover her horrified face, it failed miserably as a joke.

Dutch sighed. Such information would bring a reaction from any person. He just hoped that they did not do something rash.

'Vale, you heard that?' Dutch knew in his bones he would have a lot of soothing to do when he returned to his cute daughter.

'I did.' The entity sighed mournfully in his head.

'Please hold your words. I have more for you when I return to the vault.'

'Okay.' Vale mumbled softly, her voice awash with emotion. Dutch felt alone in his head once again.

He returned to reality and faced his companions.

"I'm so sorry. If only you had not decided to come with us, this wouldn't have happened." Maribel whispered, horrified at what was going to happen to her friend.

"Don't be." Dutch muttered, his tone sharp.

"If I hadn't, the two of you would have met that bastard alone. To the world, you would have become just another group of missing young woman lost in the woods. The Mask would have acquired the vault and the world would be all the more in danger. In any case, one life for two is a good trade-off." He merely nodded to himself, unperturbed by the cold harsh logic of his words.

Renko slammed her hands down on the table. "How can you be so calm while saying such things?" She hissed.

Dutch affixed her with a sharp look. "Because when dealing with such situations, I learnt to disengage my emotions. I can let my emotions run wild later. Now is the time to think clearly about what is to happen next."

Suitably chastened, Renko sank back . "How did you learn to do that? What was your life before us?"

"A tale of monsters." Dutch simply muttered, darkness clinging to his tone.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch entered the vault.

The first thing he saw was Vale floating there, her head drooped in sorrow. It looked so heart breaking that Dutch simply walked up to her and gave a hug. The entity returned it with silent sadness.

"Why?" She breathed, her voice like a breeze sighing through the trees.

"Because it has to be. In a way, it's the price I will have to pay for creating you. But I don't care. It's a prize worth paying for." Dutch answered. Vale's grip tightened to his statement.

"If I was not-" Vale started, but she never got any further.

"Don't you ever say that! You have a gift. Don't you dare waste it on just me! You are too precious to me for just that!" Dutch hissed.

He softened his tone. "Besides, we don't know what would have happened if we did change the past. All we can do is prepare for the future."

Liquid stained his fatigues.

* * *

><p>Moriya Shrine<p>

Maribel gazed despondently at the full, pearl of a moon.

Somehow, tonight, it seemed so, so bright.

Her friend stood next to her, staring at the same object, her mind otherwise occupied.

"How could he be so uncaring for himself? It's his own life he is talking about." Renko whispered, attempting to understand her companion's carelessness for his own life.

"Have you not learned anything from your time with him?" Yukari asked, sticking out half-way through a gap. Against her reputation as a troll, she now adopted a serious expression.

"Explain." Surprising, it was Maribel who said that statement. Her friend, beaten to the punch, closed her mouth and nodded in agreement.

"Through all of the times that you were in danger, haven't you noticed that he put himself in even more danger? Or that he has constantly kept things away from you for your safety? Perhaps you did not realize that he only ever revealed his problems when he could not hide them from you any longer?" Yukari simply ticked off each point on her slender fingers, her eyes shut adopting a lecturer's demeanor.

"We know! But there is nothing we can do. We are too weak to help." Renko answered, her voice trailing into a mumble.

Yukari opened her fan and covered her face. "There is something you can do. Get stronger. Learn from the inhabitants of Gensokyo. The two of you have great power, you just need to learn to use them. Show me that strength and adaptability that humanity is capable of. Then perhaps, you can impress on him the importance of his own life to himself."

Renko nodded, a fire ignited in her eyes. When she turned to Maribel, she could see the same reaction in her.

"So when do we start?" Renko asked the youkai of boundaries.

* * *

><p>Tengu village<p>

Palace

"Lord Tenma. Are you sure of this?" One of her closest advisers asked.

Tenma faced her with a determined face. "I am. The village is prosperous and there is no threat to it. I believe it is time for me to see what my people see with my own two eyes."

A stunned silence cloyed the atmosphere of the throne room. Tenma expected this. While it was not scandalous for the tengu lord to take a break, her breaks were rare and far between. The last time she could remember taking a break, she spent just a day in the palace lazing around before heading back to work. And that was several hundred years ago.

"It was the human wasn't he? He has changed you lord Tenma." One of her more vocal advisers asserted loudly.

Tenma resisted the urge to beat the adviser senseless. "Contrary to your belief, the human did not change anything. He has simply highlighted something that I have missed. Which is why I am taking this endeavor. And his name is Dutch. You will address him properly as he is still under the employ of the tengu lord."

More stunned silence greeted Tenma's statement. Tenma sat resolute on her throne, her eyes challenging any one who dared speak against this statement.

Less than a day after Dutch left, the whole tengu village had known of Dutch and his actions. Most approved of his actions, the minority concentrated on the White Wolf section. The White Wolf were getting increasing brutish of late and the attack had managed to cool off their ambitions but at a cost.

Tenma wondered who leaked the information regarding Dutch. Most likely it was one of the White Wolf commanders. But she had a nagging suspicion that it was one of the Hanataka tengus who just so happened managed to link the two together, released that into the Hanataka rumor mill and cause all the measures taken to hide Dutch's identify be for nought.

At least she managed to hide Dutch's name from the village. Only she knew and she intended to keep it that way. Giving him the seal was a good idea. It meant that he could disregard any tengu except her. Somehow, it gave her a happy feeling.

A side effect of the rumor mill was the labeling of Dutch as 'Tenma's pet human'. While initially hilarious, it got old really quick. Although it did give her a rather delicious mental image of Dutch waiting on her every beck and call. She started to salivate unconsciously.

What the hell was she thinking?

Tenma mentally chastened herself. She was doing that more often in recent times, she noted.

Unaware of the very unlordy way their leader was thinking at the current moment, the tengu advisers gave their appropriate answers to Tenma's statement. Her statement was with merit and they did not want to summon the wrath of Tenma on them, lest she decided to send her pet human after them. Word of how the human managed to slip past tengu security back to the palace was a story that most of them could recite on the spot, that was how much they heard of the same story. Even though it was formed through the questioning of multiple youkai, it was a story that was widely accepted in the village. If a shrine maiden was capable of fighting her way from one end of Gensokyo to the next, an outsider could sneak his way through the tengu village.

But with each telling, the story got more and more unlikely. If the latest versions were to be believed, Dutch literally went through a company of wolf tengus standing at attention unseen whilst dancing the can-can. And that was the more modest version.

Even youkai twisted information.

All the matters of the day finished, the tengu advisers departed. Tenma returned back to her quarters through the secret passage. Inside, she released all her pent-up emotion with a sigh.

She managed to finish all the important matters for the next week or so she was fine on that end. But something of the heart concerned her again.

She was excited for tomorrow, make no mistake about it, but even through the fire of adventure was ready to be satisfied, she could not help but feel that the journey would be a tad...lonely.

Her heart ached for company. To be more specifc, the company of a particular human. But even though Tenma knew that if she needed, she could easily summon Dutch, she did not want to disturb him. The human had his own life to follow and this journey was hers alone.

With an aching heart, Tenma stilled herself from reaching for a writing brush. Instead she turned to the other necessities that she had prepared for the journey.

A simple red-white shirt with autumn under tones formed her top. With a red skirt for the bottom and a fluff-ball-less Tokin for the top.

As Tenma stared at the simple clothing, she remembered once when she decided to play around with the palace staff. Wearing a palace staff uniform and without the regal expression she held in front of her subjects, she walked around the palace.

Surprisingly, most did not recognize her at all. The only few that did were her personal staff. Taking advantage of the situation, they gave Tenma a list of tasks to do. The tengu lord played along, curious to see what went behind the scenes in the palace. The experience left her with new found respect for her personal staff and an exhausted body. Who knew taking care of her took so much work.

After the experience, Tenma had her personal staff swear to secrecy about her little experiment. The discovery that she could blend into tengu society by simply dropping the regal expression was something she valued. Having accidents occur because due to the act of respectfully acknowledging her presence was something she disliked greatly.

As she took off her hair pin and let her sleek silver hair fall, a knock on the door made her turn.

Standing tall and respectfully, her chief of personal staff waited at the door. With long, snowy hair tied into a pony-tail and a pair of wolf ears that constantly checked for unnatural sounds, the White Wolf tengu bowed to her leader. She wore the standard outfit for the White Wolf tengu with the palace guard symbol of the maple leaf in front and held a katana, simply lethal in it's design and lacking the ornaments that would have went into decorating a weapon of the palace. She kept silent, awaiting Tenma's permission to speak.

"Please Eri, the time for formality is past. Speak freely." Tenma glanced askance at the tall White Wolf tengu waiting at the door. She always felt amused by her chief of personal staff's inherent formalness. It was something that Tenma could never get out of her, no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, Tenma gave up, realizing that sometimes, you can't have your way.

Eri bowed and entered. "I have selected the best katana I could find. Following your instructions, it is unmarked but is the best that I am able to find. The kitchens have also prepared a set of supplies for your journey ahead although they do not know who is it for." The two knew each other for the better part of Tenma's thousand year rule and Eri still maintained the formal greeting because well, its lord Tenma after all.

Loyal to the death, Eri was one of the few wolf tengus that did not disapprove of Tenma's extreme move. Being one privy to the bigger picture, she could not find fault with the attack. In fact, while she expected the White Wolf Tengu to be humbled by the attack, she was wholly unprepared for the runaway sucess of the endeavor.

It worried her. The human that Tenma employed was dangerous, very dangerous. If he could slip past tengu security easily, what could he manage if he decided to target Tenma? Secretly, she had assigned tengu to watch him.

She did not expect to hear that the human managed to fight off the mountain youkai. While the very act was considered possible for the higher end of the fighting spectum in Gensokyo, the mountain youkai were hunting beyond living memory and were capable of bringing down powerful magical beings that underestimated them. And yet not only did he accomplish this, but he accomplished it without magical means and with the aid of a small weapon. This only made it more impressive.

Already, the news of 'Tenma's pet human' decimating the mountain youkai was spreading. By morning, the rumor mill would be abuzz with the information. Eri had sighed when she found out. If left unchecked, Tengu could spread rumors faster than any other organized group in Gensokyo.

Eri did not want to be near Tenma on the day that she found out. Eri could see the human had wrought a change in her. Whether it was good or bad, Eri had no idea but she decided to continue to keep a constant watch on him just in case.

Tenma appraised the katana with a critical eye. Deeming it satisfactory, she accepted the blade from Eri. "How do you feel about my trip?" The lord asked her chief. As the tengu overlooking all Tenma-related actions, Eri was the most knowledgable of the tengu, specifically regarding information about her. She made her opinions regarding her action very clear every time.

Eri adopted a thoughtful expression while keeping her respectful face. "I feel that the timing of this trip is irregular but I feel that you deserve it. The head apothecary in the palace has long given up sending requests for you to relax. Perhaps it is for the best." She answered, keeping a slight teasing tone.

Tenma smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Gensokyo mountain range<p>

Primary base of operation

The figure walked out of the darkness, his onyx armor and cape breaking up his shape. To the men guarding the gate, he was a cloud of death, silently drifting toward them. They bowed and opened the gate, lest they somehow incur the wrath of the grim being.

As the dark figure strode into the base, the gate closing right behind him. A soldier waited for him at the ready, wearing a load laden vest and a rifle hanging loosely by his side. His masked face only showed emotionless eyes.

"What news do you have for me?" The figure demanded, his cultured voice barely audible over the night.

"Milord, it appears that the changes to the weapons were widespread. All of the soldiers report the same thing. Their weapons now fire bolts of lethal danmaku flying at a slightly slower speed. It appears this is only confined to projectile weaponry." The soldier answered.

The figure affixed his red slit eyes in the soldier. "She knows. This is her doing." He answered, his tone accusing.

"With all due respect milord, if she knew, we wouldn't be here anymore." The solider retorted. The figure paused in thought before accepting the wisdom of the statement.

"Very well then. Is there any impact on the warriors?" The figure asked.

The soldier shook his head. The figure acknowledged the statement and waved the soldier to be dismissed. The soldier saluted him briskly and left.

The cloaked being broke up into darkness.

He reappeared on the top most tower of the fortress, darkness coalescing into an identifiable shape. Staring out across Gensokyo, he collected his thoughts.

His benefactor specifically instructed him that should the drones never return, he was given free rein. Seeing how the drones were late, he assumed the worst. His preparations were already underway.

As the figure emerged from his thoughts, he stared out at the sweeping lands once more.

"Soon, there will be order."

Below him, a relic of a bygone war growled to life.


	24. Not your average market place

24! Just one more chapter to a quarter of a hundred chapters. I feel so happy!

Infact, Im so happy I'm gonna go give Flandre a hug!

Enjoy this chapter! And RNR too! It make me even happier!

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch woke up in bed, looking at the serene sleeping face of his daughter. Yesterday, she had once again cried herself to sleep. Again Dutch had had to carry her to bed, as gently as he possibly could so he would not disturb her. Once he had tucked her in, a wave of drowsiness had swept over him leaving in a bone-tired state. Climbing into bed with her, he had settled into an inescapable sleep.

Now, he simply stared at her sleeping face and pondered. In just a couple of days, he had brought tears to her eyes more than once. Not exactly the best of things a father could do.

And there would be more to follow.

Dutch knew, with absolute conviction, that the Lunarians must not know of the existence of Vale. A life created from the recording of experiences from the ages of humanity by an impurity? At best, they may take her and examine her. At the worst, they would destroy her.

And as long as she was in the vault, she was connected to him. That was one of the reasons he worked on a magical process to allow her to leave the vault. When he left, Vale would be in Gensokyo, relatively safe from the prying eyes of the Lunarians.

Dutch decided when the time came, he would leave as fast as possible. No need to prolong Vale's sadness.

A clean break. As Edward Cullen had said. And look how that bloody well turned out.

It would be a necessary act. He told himself. But it would still be one that hurts.

Easing himself carefully from the bed he entered the kitchen. He went about the task of making a cup of tea and as he sipped the warm, olive green liquid, he took a look at the room. Apparently Vale had done some interior redesigning while he was gone, which was why the kitchen was there. Looking around, she must have gotten it from his memories, seeing how it looked remarkably similar to the one in his house on the outside.

Dutch left the kitchen and entered the interface room to find an unexpected sight. Sitting on the chair, her parasol held high even though she was in shelter, Yukari waved to the human.

"What are you doing here?" The worry worn man asked as he leaned back against the closed door, forgoing the rather worthless question of how she got there. He continued to sip the cup as he stared at Yukari, demanding an answer with his eyes.

The gap youkai smiled. "I came to take a look. Every vault owner has a personalized vault. I came to check it out. I found some thing interesting along the way."

She tapped a key on the interface keyboard and two things popped up on screen. The prototype template for entity existence outside the vault and a 3D wireframe blueprint for a building.

"Surprising, for a person who has no magical affinity to attempt to create a magical process. Even more surprising since it is one involving life. Magicians with a competent grasp would regard this as a particularly difficult endeavor. Are you sure that you know what are you doing?" Yukari asked as she examined the many different equations and other text scrawled across the screen.

Dutch shrugged. "The vault adapted the magical knowledge it had at its disposal and changed it to a manageable level for me. I plan to have it checked by someone of competent magical capability but it's just the beginning for now."

Yukari tapped an equation on the screen. It highlighted itself in blue. "This equation will not work. You need at least a basic knowledge of magic if you're going to get it right."

Dutch downed his cup. "Anyone with a repository of magical knowledge you would recommend?"

"Gensokyo has several such repositories, Mayohiga included. But they are too general and you wouldn't want to waste too much time searching for the right ones, wouldn't you? As such, I recommend visiting a puppeteer living in the forest of magic. She is a youkai magican and her name is Alice Margatroid. She is trying to create artificial life for her puppets and has several tomes that may contain useful knowledge on the subject. They will provide the knowledge you lack." Yukari stood up from the chair.

Dutch nodded. "I see. Anything else helpful?"

Yukari then highlighted the blueprint for the house. "If you want this done in the shortest amount of time, head to the Kappa. Their construction expertise mean that they will finish your design in the fastest way. You wouldn't want to spend your time here waiting for a house to finish, won't you, Tenma's pet human?"

Dutch gave her a questioning look. " Repeat that last part, please?"

Yukari smiled, her hidden laughter visible from her expression. "It appears that you have achieved somewhat of a reputation among the youkai community. One for your actual deeds and two because of your relationship with the tengu lord."

"Explain." Dutch returned.

"The tengu community named you that because you had conducted the attack under Tenma's guidance. They believe that you are under the employ of the house of the tengu lord. That was cemented by you accepting the seal from the the tengu lord. While it is a key that allows entry to many youkai establishments, it also is a badge of office for those working for the tengu lord. Although no one else knows that you have the seal, they will assume that you have one. It's not a free pass though. You will still need to show tengu guards the physical seal if you want entry into tengu facilities." Yukari explained.

Dutch sighed in disappointment. "And I asked to keep my identity secret. I guess I should have expected that. Far too many people had seen me. At least they don't know my actual name."

Yukari chuckled. "Hiding in Gensokyo is impossible. Youkai communication is far more extensive compared to the outside human networks. So expect to be known and be prepared to get used to it."

Dutch nodded. He threw the cup over the edge and walked to the exit platform. He faced the creator of Gensokyo.

"Don't disturb her." He said before disappearing in a ring of energy.

Yukari watched the energy die down. "I assume that you did not tell him about the contract?" She asked the air around her.

Vault appeared in front of her. "Just like you said, it is only when or if he is ready. But would you? We both know what is in the last portion of the contract. It will end like all it's last owners have."

Yukari shook her head. "Surprisingly, he has proved to be an effective wielder of the vault. Shouldn't that be enough to sway the final line?"

Vault changed color to red. "So many others have tried. So many have been taken. How different can this one be?"

Yukari kept a thoughtful face. "But this one in particular has made far more progress than any other. Keep that in mind, Vault Dweller."

With that said, she disappeared into a gap.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Dutch stood at the tori, looking down on the mountain pathway.

"What are you thinking?" Renko asked him from behind. She and Maribel were back in their original uniforms.

"Nothing much. Just wondering what to do now. What about you?" Dutch answered. Apparently Yukari had only left instructions for the shrine to provide lodging for them if they require it. What they could do was totally up to them.

Renko pointed at the shrine. "I'm staying for now. This place is a great place to train. Maribel will be going somewhere else to train as well."

Dutch nodded. However, before he could answer, Yukari dropped in.

"Fufufu~ ready to work your ability? Oh and Dutch, you apparently have challengers. Youkai that want to beat you. You might want to nip this problem in the bud quickly." Yukari said.

Dutch growled in frustration. "Great. More attention. Alright, I shall go deal with these challengers."

Renko grabbed his shoulders. "Are you sure?" She asked her voice full of concern.

Dutch nodded. "Yeah, it's either that or have them draw up even more attention to draw me out. I'll be fine."

Yukari smiled. "Right then. You will need to go the youkai market. That is where you will address the challengers. Let's go!"

With that, all three were swallowed up by a quivering gap in a split second. Renko stared at the gap as it winked out of existance before returning to the shrine.

Sanae waited for her there.

"Let's start." She said.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

The gap opened.

Yukari appeared, upside down and gracefully flipped before landing while Maribel dropped into the ground in an uncomfortable heap.

"Ow~" Maribel groaned as she painfully got up.

Yukaro chuckled. "Oh dear, you haven't learnt how to fly? Oh wait, of course you haven't. Oh well, I suppose that should be the first item on our agenda."

"Can't I get some time to prepare first?" Maribel asked.

Yukari's answer was to snap her fingers. The ground where Maribel was standing on turned into a raised platform. The ground below became a pool of liquified danmaku that lit up the area with a bright glow. Above the platform itself was a ring, floating above the platform just beyond Maribel's reach.

"The best training is crash course training. You have to take that ring." Yukari said simply. As Maribel reached up for it, the platform started to down and the ring just passed beyond her fingers.

Maribel glared at the gap youkai. Yukari returned the look. "I said grab the ring." She intoned.

Maribel jumped up for the ring but the platform dropped further down. "I can't grab it if you keep dropping me!" Maribel hissed in frustration.

Yukari smiled. "Oh but you can. You just need the right skills. If you can't use your physical skills, think. What other skill do you have at your disposal?"

"But I haven't learnt flying yet." Maribel whined pitifully. Yukari laughed at her answer.

"My god, learning flying? Flight is not something that you learn, it is something that you already have inside you. It is a gift that almost all magical beings have. It is as natural as breathing. You just need to coax it out." Yukari smiled evilly.

"And I have the best ways to bring it out." The gap youkai finished.

The platform plummeted all the way down, right into the pool of danmaku.

"Kyaa!"

* * *

><p>Forest of magic<p>

Youkai market

The youkai market.

Situated in the outer edge of the forest of magic close to the tengu village, it is where all non-feral youkai go to trade, buy and sometimes fight for items that they might require in their daily life. As such, it is the centre of commerce in Gensokyo, at any one time having a population that far out numbers the human village or the mountain villages.

One could find every kind of youkai here. This is where the tengu village goes to get their materials from the mountain regions of Gensokyo. Kappa also ply their trade here, although the number of them here is far less than in Riverside, the trading come surface village for the kappa. It even boasts a small but sizable population of humans in it. For obvious reasons, the humans all have at least some level of combat magic proficiency. Important for them when you realize that one could easily find human flesh in the back alleys of the market. Although they all swear that their meat is supplied via outside means, how does one keep meat fresh when it has to go through a journey of epic and magical proportions before reaching Gensokyo?

At least the gate guardians don't allow just any random human to enter the place. You must have either some sort of reputation among the youkai community(The red-white, the black-white for example) or be under the patronage of a powerful group(The head maid of a vampire mansion, being in the employ of the tengu for example) or simply be linked to a human working in the market(gate guardians usually test your combat skills via danmaku before allowing entry)to enter the place.

For youkai however, they are allowed undeterred entry. Most youkai can hold their own in a fight and youkai meat is rarely sought after among the non-feral magical inhabitants of Gensokyo. Underscore rarely.

So when Tenma walked through the gate, she wasn't even given first glance. Being so close to the tengu village meant that most tengu usually brought their goods straight from the village instead of storing them at the market. It allows for product security for them. It also means that the biggest traffic in and out is always the tengu in the market.

Tenma entered the youkai market clueless of what to do. She had decided to head here for some strange reason that she could not remember. Was it to head to the arena again?

Frankly, Tenma was clueless for her journey. Adventure is more worth it when going to places you don't know. Being the thousand year head of the tengu means that you have knowledge of almost every place in Gensokyo. It spoils the adventure when you know what is coming next.

At least she knew where to go to first. The guild within the market. In truth, it was the centre of tengu activity within the youkai market, all administrative affairs relating to the tengu within the market handled within its premises. It also functioned as a go-to place for tengu who needed a temporary room, featuring its own tavern and lodging for tengu and people who had a tengu seal.

As she approached the guild, Tenma wonder who named the guild the guild. Definitely wasn't her, otherwise she would have named it something that sounded more tengu-ish.

Outside the guild, a pair of white wolf tengu guards stood by, chatting leisurely. They gave Tenma a welcoming nod as she passed them and returned to their conversation.

As she entered the guild, the smell of maple struck her. But it wasn't all maple. Hidden within the smell was a hint of spices, oils and all the other scents that clung to a person who had passed through the market. It offered her a feeling of preparation that perked her up. Maybe she could get something useful here.

Maybe coming here wouldn't be an entire waste after all. Just maybe.

But first she had to get a room to store her items.

As she went up to the register and asked for a room, a conversation next to her caught her ears.

"...pet human did something amazing." A Hanataka tengu also at the counter next to Tenma said to his Yamabushi partner. The words made Tenma grit her teeth as she had to fight back the urge to retort.

"What did he do this time?" The Yamabushi asked as she checked a ledger she carried by her side.

"What I heard, he managed to defeat twelve mountain youkai. With a knife." The Hanataka spoke, his eyes ablaze with admiration. The Hanataka tended to give those who accomplished deeds a some level of respect, even those that were not tengu.

The Yamabushi looked up in surprise. "A knife? Wow, if those Wolves had trouble with their scimitars, to beat them with a knife..."

For background detail, once Tenma had tried to clear the mountain base of the mountain youkai because they were a threat for the tengu traders traveling along the base of the mountain. So she dispatched a force of white wolf tengu to take care of the problem.

At first it was going well until the tengu got to the cave that the youkai were using. Then wave after wave of youkai charged the tengu and the battle degenerated into a confusing scrabble. When the day was over the tengu had 3 severely injured troops but no deaths, a testament to their skill. On the other hand, the youkai had lost a fair amount of their brethren. They retreated back up the mountain using the caves and the base was safe for journey.

The white wolf were armed with their classic long scimitars and shield. Dutch was only armed with a knife which was why it was cause for admiration.

"But you know what's the best part? The human tore out the heart of a youkai and ate it." The Hanataka gushed, his face a mixture of admiration and the tengu equivalent of awesome.

Tenma's lips pulled up at the sentence. She could not see tearing out a youkai's heart and eating it sounding like something the Dutch she knew would do. She chalked up that last part to tengu imagination.

The Yamabushi had the same idea."...Are you sure you did not listen to your crow friend again? You know, the one that believed that the barrier was a big bowl because he heard it on the rumor mill?" She asked, slightly exasperated and amused from her partner's rather weird statement.

"Maybe." The Hanataka answered sheepishly.

"Your room is set, Teri-san." The tengu at the counter said to Tenma. The silver-haired beauty nodded and left the two tengu to their conversation. She had heard enough.

* * *

><p>Youkai Market<p>

Gate entrance

The gap popped open. Dutch fell out and landed in a heap.

"Damn Yukari." He said as he moved to pick himself off the ground. He opened his eyes to see two pairs of eyes stacked on top of each other staring at him.

What the hell?

Dutch blinked. The four eyes now sharpened into a pair of eyes and nostrils on the head of a massive bull youkai. It looked at Dutch like some kind of curious object.

Suddenly the bull youkai moved. It grabbed Dutch by the shoulders and lifted him up, focusing its eyes on him.

"You that Tenma humie?" The bull youkai asked as he casually held him up with no problem what so ever. Dutch tensed up as he awaited a violent response to his next answer.

"Yea, what about it?" Dutch returned as he took stock of his surroundings. He was in front of a gate and there was a lot of youkai traffic going in and out of the gate. Already some of the youkai were looking at him and some had even stopped. If it broke out into a fight, the odds were not good.

The bull youkai bellowed in happiness. "What da ya know! The humie appears! How was it fighting those mountain gits?" He said as he put down Dutch. Dutch blinked as he realized that the bull youkai had no ill intentions for him.

"It was okay I guess. They came at me in small groups so they were pretty manageable." Dutch answered as the bull youkai lead him in. He was slightly surprised by the reception he got. He expected to be mobbed by youkai challengers, not given a welcome by a massive friendly bull youkai.

And he got a group of starers following him. Some had that challenger look on their faces but others had a predatory gleam in their eyes. The kind that prequels eating.

The bull youkai laughed. "Thats true. Those mountain gits do fight ya in small groups if they can. The bests first, then the scraps for last." He said as he gave Dutch a slap on the back.

Nevertheless to say, Dutch stumbled from the force of the hit. He gave the bull youkai a pained smile as it continued on its path, happily oblivious to the effects of its strength on the human body.

The duo traveled further into the market. As they walked, they continually drew stares from the passing youkai. How could they not? The massive bull youkai and the comparatively small human next to it going together was something that was uncommon in the youkai market.

Soon, the two came to a small tavern. A pair of Makaian demon guards stood in front of the building, their very presence a deterrence to would-be youkai that wanted to enter the tavern. As Dutch and the bull youkai approached, they stepped forward.

"Sorry Ushi but the human stays outside." One of the guards said as he held his lance ready. The bull youkai, now known as Ushi, bellowed in good natured laughter.

"Do you know who this humie is? This is Tenma's humie, the one that beat twelve of the mountain gits. Let him in you gits." Ushi answered as he slapped Dutch again on the back. Again, Dutch stumbled in pain.

The two Makaians demons stared at each other. Both coming to a silent agreement, they stepped back and let Dutch and Ushi through.

"What was that all about?" Dutch asked.

Ushi chuckled. "Humie, you got a reputation. Beating the mountain gits is not easy, even for those tengu gits. You got some good skills and the youkai gits like that. Which is why you are here. Welcome to the league. Special tavern for the best group of fighter gits anywhere." The bull youkai said as they entered the tavern.

Inside the tavern, a variety of youkai drank, ate and discussed with each other. When the door opened, they all turned to it. Dutch tried to return a tavern worth of stares to the youkai. He also realized that the air had just dropped a few degrees.

"Hey Ushi, who is the human? Another fool who thinks he's good?" A crow youkai cackled as he reached for a a painful looking spiked mace. His actions were mirrored across the room as all the youkai either reached for their weapons or already held them at the ready.

'Wow, there's more exotic weapons here than in a museum.' Dutch thought.

Ushi laughed. "Put down your weapons you gits. This here is Tenma's humie, the git that beat the mountain gits. He's genuine material."

The room fell silent. Dutch stood there, unsure of what to do. The silence could mean many things and he was half tempted to run out the door. Rule number one of being a covert operative was that you do not draw action to yourself. Even though that was in the past, Dutch still prefered to follow it.

"Well then, I have to go back to the gate. Have fun, Tenma's humie." Ushi said before turning and leaving out the door. Dutch kept an expressionless face while inside he mentally yelled for Ushi to return. Sadly, he was not a telepath and so Ushi left the tavern.

Right now, he was a fish amongst sharks. A fish that was proficient in combat but still a fish nonetheless.

All the youkai slowly started to approach him. Dutch mentally selected his carbine and prepared to phase it into existence. But it did not look good.

Then the youkai roared. But it was not a fighting roar. Nor was it a frightening roar. In fact, it was the total opposite. It was a roar of approval.

Now Dutch was in a state of deafened confusion. But hey, at least he did not have to fight them.

The youkai rushed forward to give him a big hearty welcome. It involved friendly punches and slaps. Of course by human standards, this meant pain on a massive level. So as they bought Dutch to the bar, he was buffeted by friendly and painful attacks.

But at least it was less painful than fighting them. Probably only by a slightly lower level.

"Oni sake!" The crowd shouted out loud. The amused bartender, used to the antics of the youkai, brought out a sake dish filled with clear liquid giving out an evil alcoholic smell. The crowd roared as Dutch was placed on the seat and looked at the dish presented to him.

"It's an initiation rite." The smiling Hanataka tengu bartender said.

"Drink it!" The crowd commanded. Dutch gave an incredulous look at the dish. The sake smelled worse than medical alcohol and Dutch had tried medical alcohol before. The fumes were so bad it made half the room half drunk at that time. Medical alcohol is some powerful stuff. And if Oni sake smelled stronger than that stuff, he could be looking at some serious liver damage. At least he could hold his liqour via unfair means.

'Activate alcohol blockers.' Dutch mentally commanded. However, instead of the robotic voice of the nanobots, Dutch was answered with his daughter's voice. No matter, it was more pleasant to hear.

'Alcohol blockers active. Don't drink too much Dako.' Vale giggled. Dutch gave a mental chuckle at the name.

Well then, back to business.

Taking the dish, Dutch tipped it over and started to down the sake. It lit up a fire as it went down his throat.

'This is the last time I drink this stuff.' He mentally grumbled as he continued to drink the sake.

* * *

><p>Sometime later<p>

Youkai market

Tenma approached the tavern. The Makaian demon guards, recognizing her, allowed her to pass.

The league was the name given to the tavern she was entering. While how it got it's name was a tale lost in the two and a half centuries or so of Gensokyo's existence, it's clientele was one recognized throughout the land.

It was where the best fighters gathered to socialize. All were welcome, human or youkai, provided that you have the sufficient skills. Sometimes, a cocky idiot would attempt to get entry. No problem. All they have to do is to beat one of the fighters inside and they get entry. Newcomers rarely got accepted this way.

The other way to get accepted was to do something of great skill, like beating a oni in a fist fight or beating a group of mountain youkai with a knife. Then a member could bring you into the tavern to enter.

For Tenma, she was accepted for deeds accomplished long ago. But in the tavern she went by a different name, one even her personal chief of staff did not know. In the tengu village, with her regal expression in front of her subjects, she was Lord Tenma, leader of the tengu village. But outside that, she went by the alias of Teri, tengu adventurer.

Tenma reminisced the last time she used that alias. It was so many centuries ago. So many centuries since she took up her position as leader. But at least the Makaian guards still recognized her face. Names can change but the face always remained the same.

As she entered, Tenma's ears picked up a voice that she did not expect to hear and one that made her heart race.

"...when the general woke up, his arms were missing and the doctor was never heard from again. Muahahahaha!" Dutch said as he reached the climax of his joke. The small youkai crowd around him roared in laughter. The rest of the tavern inhabitants were huddled among their own groups, doing their own things.

Dutch? Here?

Tenma did a mental victory jig. Heading to the youkai market was not a wasted journey after all. She got to meet Dutch and that was a victory in her view.

As she looked at the crowd laughing with the human, Tenma realized she wanted a private audience. Just her and him. She could not account the feeling to herself but all the same, she decided to follow it through.

Walking by the laughing group, Tenma did what she needed to do and headed out. The Makaian demon guards paid her no attention. The business of the clientele was theirs alone to mind.

As Tenma headed back to the guild, she realized that her heart was racing. Yet she could not find any logical answer to account for it.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

At the same time

Maribel lifted herself up wearily into the air, her mind focussed in concentration. Her clothing was covered with rips everywhere, the result of being immersed into the liquid version of danmaku.

But hey, at least she was flying in the air.

"Bravo. Learning to fly in under half an hour. See, that's why crash courses are the best form of training." The gap youkai clapped as she leaned against her floating gap.

Maribel simply panted. She was too exhausted by the danmaku immersion to speak. And probably for good measure. The words in her head were not for pure ears.

"But~ you still have to take the ring." Yukari finished. Maribel affixed the troll of trolls with a burning glare.

Yukari smiled. "Oh by the way, your male friend is at the current moment surrounded by the best fighters in the Gensokyo."

Maribel's heart skipped a beat. "Is he okay?" She forced through her exhausted body.

Yukari grinned. "He's laughing."

The answer was so unexpected that Maribel lost her concentration. The blonde human dropped out of the air like a rock and hurtled back towards the waiting pool of liquid danmaku below.

"Kyaa!"

* * *

><p>At the same time<p>

Moriya shrine

"Good!" Sanae cried out loud in midair as she rolled out of the way of a spray of minute hand danmaku. Renko nodded her thanks as she hovered above lake Suwa. Her wet clothing explained the motivation for her to learn to fly.

Sanae grinned. "Now let's try something harder." She drew a spell card from her outfit.

Miracle"Miracle Fruit"

The water was disturbed by a crashing body a few seconds later


	25. The tengu and the human pt 1

**25! TWENTY FREAKING FIVE! THAT A FREAKING QUATER TO A HUNDRED!**

**okay, hysterical happiness aside, this is quite a achievement for me. Never would i have expected to reach 25 chapters when i first started.**

**All that effort has to go to you, my readers. Without the knowledge that i have people reading my work, i probably wouldn't have done so far.**

**On a different note, i would like to make clear the current climate as regards to the progress of the story. i am noting that the time of the story should be following real world time, so gensokyo should be in the time of summer. Of course, if you have read Undiplomatic combat, i wrote it as being in autumn. That will soon be modified.**

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Dutch clutched the piece of paper with guarded curiousity. It had been slipped into his pocket while he was socializing with the youkai in the league. He acted normally as if it had never happened and continued to chat with the youkai.

A hidden attempt to spot who slipped him the paper ended in failure. All he could see was a flash of sliver as the door to the tavern closed and he wasn't even sure that it was the same youkai that had slipped him the paper.

Excused himself from the activities of the tavern he headed out. The youkai were disappointed that they had to cut short the celebrations but a quick assurance that he would be around for at least the whole day renewed their spirits. Already as Dutch left, the general cacophony had mutated to new forms.

Outside, Dutch felt the piece of paper. He extracted it from his pocket and read the words inside.

'Come to the guild. Use your seal to enter and head to the lodging section. Go to the tengu lodgings and enter the third door you see. It will be unlocked. I will be waiting for you there.'

Having read the paper, Dutch folded the paper and tore it up. He then tore up the pieces and stomped them into the gravelly ground for good measure. You never know if someone might be reading your written words. Dutch knew of several instances where improperly disposed of written words undermined a secret.

Asking one of the demon guards for directions to The Guild, Dutch set off. It was not too far from The League and he could make good time with a casual walk.

He smiled eagerly. From the message and the flash of silver, he already guessed who his mysterious contact was. She had much to learn. Perhaps he could impart some of his knowledge to her at their secret rendezvous.

Nah.

Dutch snorted as he seriously considered the idea. She doesn't need to learn to hide. Her very job is to be out in the open for her subjects to see.

As he approached The Guild(Which idiot named this building he wondered ), Dutch saw a pair of imposing tengu guards standing outside the door. They both turned to him silently challenging him with their eyes, a noiseless demand passed from youkai to human.

Dutch simply flashed his seal. Both of the tengu guards showed a split second of surprise when they saw the seal of the Tengu Lord, the look flashed across their faces for mere moments. They quickly regained control of their expressions and nodded. Dutch walked past them, a ghost of a smile on his face.

When he pushed open the door, he was once again confronted with a sea of stares. The ambient noise that made up a room full of people died down as the tengu and humans inside looked at him. They knew of his reputation and most actually stared at him as he passed, as if trying to understand how such an unremarkable human could be under the employ of one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo.

Dutch kept a blank face as he traversed the gauntlet of scrutiny. Keeping a fast pace, he was soon on the other side of the room. Without a pause, he entered the off-shoot labeled; "Lodging Wing."

Behind him, the whispers started.

* * *

><p>Guild lodgings<p>

Tenma waited with eager anticipation.

'Stop it!' She commanded herself. This was behaviour unbecoming of the tengu leader. Where was the calm exterior that she was so famous for showing in times of crisis?

But try as she might, she could not rein in her emotions. Everytime she thought of Dutch, her heart would race and her hands trembled. She could not explain this feeling to herself and all her experience was failing her right now.

She stared at the unlocked door hopefully. Maybe Dutch could help her when he came. After all, it had only started recently. In fact, Tenma realized, it started to pop up after she met the human. Could it be some strange outside sickness that he may have bought with him? If so, why was only she affected?

A creak made her snap her head up. The door was opening. Tenma's heart started to race.

The door opened to reveal...nothing.

Tenma stared dumbfounded at the entryway that had just cheated her feelings. She got up and headed to the open barrier, hoping, just hoping, that it was a trick played by Dutch and not just the wind.

But the corridor was empty. The only notable activity was the sound of activity from the entrance room down the corridor. Tenma walked out to the entrance room. It was devoid of the human, just whispering tengu and a heavy heart, Tenma returned back to the room, letting the door close with a click behind her.

Inside, Dutch stood leaning against the wall, all smiles.

Tenma eyes bulged, her hair unsettled for a second. "H-how did you get in?" She stuttered in surprise. Her heart started to return to normal, reaching a state of equilibrium in the presence of the human. Her hair too, sank back into its customary position.

Dutch chuckled. "The door was open. I let myself in."

Tenma could not find an answer. There was only one way in and out of the lodging wing and she just went through it. So she just stood there, a stunned expression painting her face.

"I must say though. The attire you picked for your journey is beautifully simple, Lord Tenma. It really suits you."

Tenma blushed deep red. "How did you guess my identify?" She asked, secretly impressed by the calling out of her identify so quickly and also revelling in his compliment which sounded like music to her ears.

Dutch smiled. "You're the only one that knows I have a seal and I saw a flash of your hair when you left the tavern. It was just a matter of putting two and two together. Althrough you are not traveling with your actual name, are you? What should I address you as?"

Tenma regained control of her expression and returned the smile. "Teri. I go by Teri."

"Te~ri." Dutch slowly drawled out the name as he got the feel of it. Tenma's blush returned slightly, giving her face a light red tint as Dutch used his own lips to voice her alias.

"Alright, got it. No more speaking of your other name, Teri."

The rugged human stirred as he pulled himself off the knotted, wooden wall. How? How did he manage to look so confident even while going about such a mundane action? Her tengu eyes, far more perceptive than a human's, could make out the way the fabric of his clothing pulled across his steely muscles. She felt an involuntary sigh aching to escape from her lips and squashed it just as quickly.

"But enough of me. I didn't expect you to be here. A funny coincidence, don't you think?"

'Damn you Yukari.' He mentally cursed.

Tenma nodded; "I made a stopover here. But I agree, it is a coincidence."

'Thank you, whoever sent him here." She mentally thanked whichever god was responsible for her good fortune.

Dutch nodded. "Well, let's make the best of it. I'm feeling particularly wanting of a drink. Shall we return to the tavern bar?"

Tenma gave her silent agreement. As the two left the room and headed out, Tenma realized something. While she was with Dutch, her heart was strangely calm, very different from the racing feeling just minutes earlier.

* * *

><p>Tavern<p>

The League

The duo sat at the table, sipping their appropriate drinks. Occasionally, passing youkai would give them their greetings and would be given the same in return. Overall, it was one big group of happy people and youkai. Ignoring the fact that the youkai and humans were the kind that could wipe the floor with you.

"It's funny. I expected to be fighting for my life here, not greeted by a big welcome." Dutch muttered jovially while returning the wave of a youkai.

Tenma smiled. "Those inside The League know they are the best. Why would they spend energy to prove it? It's those not in the league that you have to watch for. Please, you need to be careful here." she finished her sentence, her humour dying as she realized that inside the youkai market, Dutch had a large pool of potential challengers to fight against. His humanity did not exactly fill her with confidence.

Dutch gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be as careful as possible."

'After I have completed what I came here to do.' He thought snidely.

Just as he finished his speech, Ushi appeared, holding a piece of paper.

"Hey Tenma's humie, you got challengers. At the arena." The gate guardian said. Dutch accepted the piece of paper as the bull youkai took one of the untouched seats at their table. Tenma's eyes flashed with disapprovement as she heard the title again but she held her tongue.

"Speak of the devil. " Dutch said as he read the paper. "I got at least 14 challengers out to get me including the top. Well, I can only guess that's the top from the death sign next to his title. Death-Legs? What sort of stupid idiot named this youkai?"

Ushi bellowed in laughter. "That, Humie, is one of the best gits in the arena. You're the first to call that git's title stupid. Not bad. Just don't get beaten by that git. If you do, that git gets to enter the league and I hate that git."

Dutch nodded. "And why would you hate him, dare I ask?"

Ushi banged his fist on the table. "That git always uses any tactics to get victory. No sense of real fighting."

Dutch raised a calming hand. "No need to kill the table. But I see what you mean. So in short, don't get defeated by Death-Legs." A youkai with no qualms to using any way to win? Well, it's time for the youkai to meet a human of equal thought.

Ushi nodded.

"Alright then, I'm not going keep my suitors waiting. Let's get this over with." Dutch said sarcastically as he got up. Tenma followed him, Ushi giving them both an encouraging wave as they both left the tavern.

"So where is this arena anyway?" Dutch asked outside the tavern.

"I'll lead you." Tenma said.

The duo continued along in silence.

"Hey, Dutch, can I ask you something?" Tenma asked.

"Go ahead."

"Why must you accept the challengers?" Tenma probed, a hint of worry in her tone.

"If I don't, the challengers will stir up a storm requesting my presence. That will usually result in me being in the limelight again. I would rather not have that."

"I see. Can I ask you something else?"

Dutch smiled at her warmly. "You can ask me anything."

"When you fought the mountain youkai, did you really tear out the heart of a youkai and eat it?" Tenma asked, mentally hitting herself for asking such a weird question right after she spoke. Why would he do that?

Dutch burst out laughing. It drew the attention of a couple of youkai in the vicinity as they turned to look at the sudden noise. Finding just a laughing human, they returned to their activities.

"So you did not do it? And what's so funny?" Tenma asked, confused by the apparent humour that Dutch could see but she couldn't.

Finally Dutch managed to control his laughter. Still chuckling he answered her question. "Eat it? Why would I do that?"

His answer made Tenma more confused. "So you actually tore out a youkai heart?"

Dutch nodded. "The bugger was holding me down and my weapons were useless. It just so happened that I had managed to open a hole in the youkai's body. So I went inside and took the heart. But eating it? Absolutely not. Firstly, eating when you are surrounded by youkai is a waste of time."

Tenma nodded. Learning that Dutch really had managed to tear the heart of a youkai simply made her respect him more. Even though it could be said that she held something more than respect for him.

"Although...maybe if it was seared with onions and with a side of rice, I would eat it." Dutch said with a straight face.

Tenma's face turned a wide variety of emotions as the words ran through her head. "I-I see." She finally answered in a scandalized voice.

Dutch grinned teasingly. "But just maybe."

He watched Tenma's face as she realized she was being toyed with. Her face lit up in a flush as her burgundy eyes sharpened.

"Dutch Kotozaki, did you just play a trick on me?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

The human's grin got wider. "I did say maybe."

The tengu lord struck at her tormentor with sudden force. Dutch simply moved his head back as the fist, traveling at the speed of a light punch, flew past the front of his head. Then, feeling particularly random, Dutch quickly and lightly bit Tenma's hand.

Tenma gasped in surprise.

Then, just as quick, Dutch released the hand. Tenma quickly retracted her appendage, examining it for any marks. Finding none, she gave Dutch a burning glare with contradicting playful eyes.

"If I had my guard, you would be dead." Her playful tone also completely contradicting her expression.

Dutch chuckled. "Then I thank my lucky stars that you are without your guard." He shot back.

The duo basked in the mutual humour.

"Although I must say, the texture of your skin is quite...soft." Dutch assuaged, grinning evilly.

Tenma blushed madly. "S-shut up."

Dutch let out a small laugh.

Soon the duo arrived at the entrance for the arena. The double doors, red and imposing, stood over the two. A crowd of youkai loitered at the entrance, giving the duo their full attention as the human and the disguised tengu lord entered the arena.

"So how do I do this?" Dutch whispered to Tenma as they passed the double doors. The body language of the youkai around them spoke more of a spectator than a participant. If they were the latter then life would suck.

"You put your name down as a challenger. Other challengers can sent you a fight request. You can either accept or deny the fight request." Tenma explained.

"It sounds so simple for such a bloody thing." Dutch noted.

Tenma nodded. "Also, it will be regarded as rude if a youkai of higher reputation sends you a fight request and you ignore it. Usually it means that you receive a lot more fight requests from the other challengers. And if you do defeat a youkai of a certain reputation, challengers will not be able to attack you until they have managed to beat a youkai of either the same level of reputation or higher you beat. Of course, this means that if you managed to beat the best fighter in the arena, only the best fighters will come after you."

"I see. Do I have to actually to beat the youkai? As in actually take him down?" Dutch questioned, a planning glint in his eyes.

"Well, that part is a bit grey. If any fighter forfeits, the victory will of course go to the other. But if a fighter due to something unexpected happening that would cause the match to end, it's usually the better fighter that the youkai will regard the victory." Tenma explained.

Dutch nodded. This knowledge was something incredibly useful and would greatly help him.

"So if I beat Death-Legs, then I will only have to beat those who think that they can actually beat Death-Legs?" He asked.

Tenma nodded.

"That should be relative easy." Dutch announced.

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Arena

'In hindsight, that was a stupid thing to say.' Dutch thought as he dodged a randomly charging bull youkai.

The youkai bellowed as it crashed into the arena wall. Dutch wasted no time as he phased in his grenade launcher and sent a grenade flying.

_BOOM!_

The bull youkai flew over the human and landed with a meaty smack.

The other youkai fighters howled as their resolve strengthened to the sight of another challenger being taken out.

'Dammit! You are supposed to get more and more demoralized as your partners get taken out, not feel better!' Dutch cursed as he reloaded the grenade launcher. He phased out the explosive weapon and unslung his rifle, catching a flying eagle youkai with a burst of fire in midair. The bird youkai crashed onto the ground.

All in all, it was pretty much his own fault. The moment he put his name up for a challenge, request after request poured in. Feeling too lazy to fight them all one on one, Dutch decided to take them all on. Which resulted in the situation that he was in right now.

To be fair, the youkai were all pretty weak. Usually a couple of bursts or a grenade ensured their incapacitation. But there were so damn many of them. The earlier part of the battle was one of desperate close combat. Dutch had shot, dodged and exploded his way to the current position he was now at... That being almost completely at point blank range and his body showed it. Dirt, sweat and blood coated his fatigues and a gash bled over his right eye. That one was earned from a lucky slash from a sword-waving youkai that Dutch almost could not dodge.

'And they all want the honor to defeating Tenma's pet human.' The fore-mentioned human thought darkly to himself. Dutch vowed to question Tenma thoroughly just how his nick name came about.

He turned his attention to the spectator stands. The silver-haired tengu lord sat on the front row, her eyes watching his every movement. Any sound she made, if any, was canceled by the barrier that surrounded the actual battle ring. Even so, from where he was, Dutch could plainly see the concern on her face and posture. She also appeared to be trying to crush the railings from the way she gripped the metal bar.

Dutch gave her a reassuring smile. Right before elbowing the creeping spider youkai behind him hard in the head. A followup burst finished the job and another unconscious body landed on the floor.

Temporarily clear of close targets, Dutch took stock of his surroundings. Bodies littered the gritty floor of the arena, all still breathing. The remaining youkai still standing, stood close together, giving Dutch a varied visual show of different expressions all related to aggression. Dutch answered them with a taunting stare.

Then, at a shouted signal, the youkai fighters unleashed a barrage of danmaku in the direction of the human. Having seen the human decimate their compatriots at close combat, they were resorting to ranged combat to win the day. Thinking fast, Dutch hooked his foot in the fallen spider youkai at his feet and using his nanobot enhanced strength, kicked up the unconscious spider youkai. He gripped the spider youkai like a shield, using its body to block the majority of the blasts. Several shots did manage to get through the blockade and Dutch shrugged them off with gritted teeth.

The youkai kept up their attack, trusting that Dutch would fall sooner or later to the concentrated barrage. They let out a roar of triumph as they saw the human take several hits from the danmaku.

'At least they are getting smarter. But not smart enough.' Dutch thought as he saw that the youkai were all close together. He phased out his carbine and phased in his grenade launcher again. Aiming one-handed, Dutch sent a 40mm grenade flying at the group.

_BOOM!_

The fire stopped immediately as the grenade tore a hole in the youkai firing grip. The youkai closest to the blast were out for the count but the ones at the edges of the explosion were stumbling. Dutch wasted no time, having learnt his lesson to never give his enemies time to recover and plan, He swapped to his carbine and unleashing a storm of accurate fire down on the youkai.

Bodies rained upon the floor. When his rifle clicked on empty, Dutch quickly swapped magazines and continued firing, the whole process taking less than a second to complete.

When the last youkai landed on the floor, Dutch breathed a sigh of relief.

"Victory. Tenma Pet Human. Condition, all other challengers unable to continue." The announcer intoned. Dutch gave the announcer the finger as he left the arena. Attendant youkai brushed past him as they moved to remove the arena of breathing bodies.

As he walked past the door, Dutch spied a familiar chair, in fact, the seat where Tenma had once sat, out of the corner of his eye. It was now conspicuously empty.

Further down the corridor, into one of the challenger rooms set aside for him he entered. She was inside, simply standing with her katana held by her side, her burgundy eyes a mix of emotions.

"Put that thing away before you hurt someone." Dutch said as he lowered himself onto a chair. The support gave him a rush of relief as his body released all its stored battle wear.

Tenma complied silently. A clatter sounded out the placement of the katana on the table. A short moment later, a pair of soft hands pressed gently on his shoulders and simply stayed there. Then the feeling disappeared and Dutch felt a light finger trace the almost fully healed gash on the back of his neck. It gave him light shudders.

"This one. It's recent, isn't it?" Tenma asked.

Dutch was reminded of his battle with the first assassin drone. "Got that one from a drone during your mission. Nothing serious."

The finger left his neck. Tenma walked around and picked up a cloth, wet with water. She bent down to his level and gave him a look. Aged youkai eyes met youthful human ones.

"Keep still." Tenma commanded as she reached over and started to clean up his face. Slowly, the evidence of the battle was wiped away by the wet cloth carefully and softly.

As Dutch complied with Tenma's demands, his eyes tracked her face. One thing he noticed was the sheer gentleness of her hands as they did their work. Even through the wet cloth, the softness of her movements gave him a feeling of contentment, similar to Vale. He wondered what abilities she possessed which could give him such a feeling. Then he saw Tenma's eyes.

The deep, dark red eyes of the youkai leader were frought with concentration as she cleaned, but there was hint of something else inside her. If Dutch could call it anything, he would call it possessive devotion. But it seem to only be a passing shadow as Tenma's actions reflected none of the feelings he saw, so for now, he filed it away for further examination.

As Tenma cleaned, she took the chance to examine the features of Dutch. While initially it all seemed unremarkable, Tenma started to appreciate the features of his face, how it all came together. She stared into his eyes, intelligent and lit up with the light of his youth. And then for some inexplicable reason, Tenma wanted to lean forward and kiss him, to explore the interior of his mouth with her tongue, to go where no one had gone as of yet. As she asked herself why, looking at the human in front of her, she felt driven by one strong desire.

To make Dutch hers and hers alone.

She kept her expression composed but the self-revelation shocked her. No, it did more than shock her, it rocked her world apart and rebuilt it from the ground up. It seemed so impossible that her, the thousand year old leader of the tengus, the largest organized youkai group in Gensokyo, would fall for a outsider human with a infinitesimal fraction of her age. But fall she did.

The longer she stared, the stronger the urge became and Tenma started to slowly inch forward. Dutch's face seemed like a vacuum to her, pulling her in.

Then the wet cloth dabbed against the red gash over Dutch's right eye and he winced. The movement snapped Tenma out of her trance. Her mind temporary clear, she fought down the desire. Now was not the time.

"Damn that stings." Dutch muttered as he resisted the sensation of cloth on open wound, unaware of the experience that Tenma just went through. He gave Tenma an accusing glare.

"Sorry." Tenma answered as she continued her work, now making sure to only wipe away the blood and not the wound itself. Soon Dutch's face was clean. Tenma surveyed her handiwork with a satisfied eye.

"How do you feel?" She asked as she put away the dirtied wet cloth. She stood up and faced away, forcing her untrustworthy body away from the human before he garnered another reaction from her.

"Frankly, I felt like a pile of meat that has just gone through a tenderizing process. There is more to come though, isn't there?" Dutch said as he sat up and faced Tenma. The tengu faced herself away from him and he could only see her back.

"Yes there is." Tenma answered as she picked up her katana. Unsheathing it half-way, she checked the edge, taking the time to also watch Dutch using the reflection in the blade. The young man looked weary but resolute.

"So when's the next one?" Dutch asked as he phased in his diamond knife and twirled it, dancing the blade in intricate patterns. First it started with a simple circle, a slow spin controlled by his hand, the blade seemingly passing through his fingers. Then deviations occurred, a tap here and there, changing the flow of the blade until it seemed to be an organized and yet chaotic mess. Soft flesh repeatedly brushed against the steel-coated diamond edge with an almost impossible impunity.

It wasn't for showing off but instead it was an exercise to prepare for the next battle. It was a long time since Dutch had done this exercise but it always accomplished its dexterity mastery mesmerized Tenma.

"Right now humie." Ushi said from the door. The bull youkai held a great big smile.

Dutch gave him a glance as he caught the flat part of the blade in his hand and phased it away. "Why is it that every time there is news of a fight that I must join, it's you delivering it?"

Ushi laughed. "No idea humie. But I gots something good for you. The next one is Death-Legs. That git liked your fight so much, git bumped up to the next one. Good fight too, I agree. Although I dislike your way of fighting, it's amusing to watch."

Faced with the prospect of taking on the top, Dutch grinned. "And we are still in the afternoon. This is a good day." He said as he headed to the door. Ushi stopped him with a beefy arm.

"Humie, that git wants a two on two fight. If you can't get a partner, then the git will send a lesser git to support you and believe me, those gits only help their master." Ushi warned him.

"I'll go." Tenma said as she sheathed her katana. Dutch gave her an incredulous look as she joined them at the door but held his words until a time when he was alone with her.

"Who are you, tengu git?" Ushi asked her with a critical eye. He had seen her with the human earlier but she could be just another glory hunter looking to beat Dutch for all he knew.

"Teri, I know Dutch personally." Tenma answered, looking Ushi in the eye. The bull youkai snorted in approval once she had held her gaze against his for an appropriate length of time. Tenma ducked under the beefy arms of the youkai and gave Dutch an awaiting stare.

"Move on ahead first. I got something to ask Ushi." Dutch said. Tenma complied with his request, moving away from the duo, far enough that she could not hear the conversation but still well within sight.

She saw Dutch ask Ushi a question and Ushi giving Dutch a death glare. Then Dutch answering in an explanatory fashion and Ushi laughing out loud. Ushi gave Dutch a clap on the back that made him stumble forward before leaving, chuckling to himself.

Still hurting from the back slap, Dutch stumbled over to Tenma. The tengu leader gave him a questioning look.

"Just something related to arena rules. Something very useful." Came the answer. Its speaker gave Tenma his own questioning look in return.

"A better question is what do you think you are doing, volunteering as my partner?" Dutch shot back.

Tenma's resultant look feigned innocence. "You needed a partner, I volunteered as one. What seems to be the problem?" Secretly, she was thrilled to have a battle with Dutch at her side. His description of how he fought during his tengu mission was illuminating but when held up against action, words pale in comparison.

"The problem is exactly who you are. Wouldn't it be an irony if your journey was cut short because you decided to join a fight and got beaten?" Dutch hissed, lowering his volume to avoid drawing the attention of any passing youkai.

"You greatly underestimate my skills, human. I've survived the youkai invasion of the moon. A simple battle in the arena will not break me." Tenma answered in condescension, her tone and words plainly expressing her disapproval of Dutch's sentiment.

"A battle that happened over a thousand years ago. Which fits my point exactly."

"Which is?" Tenma asked as her eyes sharpened. This conversation was rapidly straying into territory that displeased her greatly, to put it softly. Any tengu worth their weight hated to have their combat skills doubted. It was a slight to their honour.

"Your fighting skills might have dulled under your time spent doing your duties. Oh and you draw too much confidence from a battle which took place a long time ago." Dutch answered frankly.

"How dare you! You push my patience human. Do you know who you are talking to?" Tenma answered back with a snarl. A passing attendant youkai gave the duo a curious look. Sensing the atmosphere, the attendant doubled his speed and disappeared around the corner.

Dutch face took on a look of almost smug vindication. "I am talking to Teri the tengu adventurer. I am NOT talking to a tengu of high position within the village that may have almost destroyed her own cover by mouthing off because she couldn't control her own bloody anger!" Dutch's voice became a soft angry growl the longer he spoke. When he finished Dutch realized that he was genuinely angry.

That surprised him. Such matters should be handled with a calm mind, not raging emotions. And here he was, losing control of his own. Feeling slightly hypocritical, Dutch reined in his anger. As he fought the anger down, he wondered how Tenma could have drawn such a reaction from him.

Tenma opened her mouth but stopped short of saying anything. Looking back, she had to agree, the human made sense. She did let her anger cloud her judgement. Like Dutch, she too fought down her anger. She had more important things to tackle.

"You are of great importance to the village. Like it or not, your safety is far more important than me beating some random youkai. If I can minimize the amount of danger you have to face, then yes, I would. Even if it hurts me." Dutch whispered, his tone softened. And he really meant it, he realized. He really would do all he could.

"And I don't intend on losing." Dutch finished.

Tenma shook her head, her thoughts clear. "Intentions do not decide the battle Dutch. Actions do. You will have a better chance of winning if you have someone you can trust as your partner. I'm going and that's final."

She then affixed Dutch with an enchanting gaze that froze him in his tracks. "If you really want to minimize the danger I receive, watch my back as I watch yours." Her voice seemed to flow, as though silk.

Her piece said, Tenma walked down the corridor, her posture radiating victory. Whether it was an omen for the next battle or an actual signification of a victory, Dutch could not clearly tell.

He stared at her dumbly as she continued down the corridor. Just how she managed to halt him with a single look was something he was very interested to find out. Noticing that he was standing, in a daze, in the middle of the corridor like some love-struck idiot, Dutch followed after Tenma.

Tenma grinned victoriously to herself as she heard the human follow after her. It appeared that she had some degree of control over him. All she needed was to fire off some of her emotional performance and he would be in thrall to her.

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Arena

Battle ring

The duo entered the ring, the first to arrive. Dutch gave the empty surface a glower as his eyes made a full circuit around it. The floor was clean and clear.

"Alright, where is this great fighter that I am supposed to take on?" Dutch announced as he waited, his voice taking on a mocking note.

"Heehee~ so eager to fight me?"

Dutch and Tenma turned to face the speaker. His opponent was clad in hardened leather armor that only covered the bare essentials. Under the armor was a rust-colored tunic. For the lower half, the legs were covered by an exquisite pair of auburn pants, just how those pants managed to emphasize the legs they clad so well, was a mystery. The pants were complimented by a belt with a burnished leafy buckle. The opponent was armed with a long metal staff, inscribed along its entire length and giving off a slight glow. A dark brown cape, the hue of coffee beans, finished the deal. The cape, the pants the staff, this youkai was a real thing of beauty. For it appeared that his opponent was in fact a she.

'Dammit, Ushi, why didn't you tell me my opponent was a she? I expected a he from the way your description sounded..' Dutch thought as his eyes moved up her frame.

The first thing that drew his eyes was the eyes of his opponent. Her slit amethyst eyes had a playful fire in them, completely unlike the reputation that Dutch had heard. Her honey gold hair was held together in a leaf brooch and her young face glowed with anticipation.

"Hmm...Your reputation deviates greatly from what I see." Dutch said to his opponent. The youkai smiled at his answer.

"The reputation I heard of you does not. You really are as affable as they make you out to be. At least when you are not fighting." She retorted.

"Honored to hear that. Your name? Mine's Dutch Kotozaki and my partner is Teri." Dutch asked, his lips pulled up at the corners by the exchange of words going on. He wondered what was going on in the audience's minds at this moment. Probably disappointment considering that they hadn't even come to blows yet.

The youkai girl grinned. "I apologize, but I cannot tell you. I do thank you though that you told me your name. Titles are simply a mask that hides the true fighter."

Dutch chuckled. "So says the one that wouldn't tell me her name. Very well, Death-Legs, very well."

"Hey, can we start soon? Or are the two of you gonna talk the whole day away?" An annoyed voice issued from behind Death-Legs.

The honey haired youkai turned around. "Simmer down won't you? This is the first time someone has not broken out into an angry rage from words." Her shift in stance exposed the speaker to both Dutch and Tenma's eyes.

The first thing that they could see was long, navy blue hair. Next they saw a pair of azure eyes pushed together in a scowl. The owner was dressed in a green-blue shirt and skirt. She had a belt with a dull droplet buckle and a small coin pouch attached to it and she was armed with an aqua war fan.

"And you are?" Tenma inquired, a nonplussed tone to her voice.

The scowling youkai grimace deeped. "Mekan. Magical kappa. Can we get this fight started?"

Dutch chuckled. "Your partner is rather unhappy."

Death-Legs smiled. "She's like that to any new person. But I see her point. We came here to fight and fight we shall."

Dutch phased in his carbine and Tenma unsheathed her katana. Death-Legs simply gripped her staff and Mekan grinned as she unfurled her war fan. Both sides stared at each other.

"So which one are you taking?" Dutch asked Tenma as he checked between the two. With his weapon variety, he could easily take on either one of them. Although Mekan was grinning as if they already won. Probably overconfidence on her part.

"I think I'll take Death-Legs. You take her partner." Tenma answered as she held her katana with both hands.

Then Mekan reached into her coin purse. Taking out a trio of wispy orbs, she threw them onto the floor. The three orbs each sank into the ground. A second later, three rock golems, each armed with a massive claymore and floating fireballs attached to their shoulders burst out of the ground.

'Golems again? This is started to get old.' Dutch cried out mentally.

"How about we share?" He said as the three golem closed in around them.

Mekan grinned as she flicked her fan upwards. Two of the three golems charged them, creaking with the sounds normally heard during an unwanted landslide.

Tenma said nothing as she stepped out of the way of the swings of one of the golems. In a single quick move, she stabbed one of the golems in the back of the head. The magical construct crumbled into a pile of dirt, the orb lying on top.

Her partner missed this vital scene. He was too busy avoiding the clumsy swings of the other golem. Rolling out of the way of a whooshing sword, he brought out his carbine and fired off a couple of bursts. The energy bullets struck the golem's head, blowing a large chunk off it. Like Tenma's opponent, it crumbled into a pile of stone, the orb lying on top.

The duo returned their attention back to their original opponents. "I hope that was not your best shot." Dutch fired off tauntingly. Tenma silently nodded. The thrill of defeating an opponent was something she had not felt for a long time. She savored the feeling and the expectation of more to come.

Mekan grinned cunningly. "Definitely not. They are just the damage soaker." The kappa answered before gesturing with her fan. Behind Dutch and Tenma, a rumble of rock reverberated through the air.

The two turned to see their just defeated opponents rise up from the ground. The newly risen rock golems held their swords up, ready to attack for their controller. At the same time, Death-Legs, Mekan and the remaining golem advanced.

Dutch cursed as he realized the gravity of the situation they were in. First off, they were surrounded. Secondly, the golems apparently could not be put out of commission for good. He and Tenma stood back to back as the two different groups closed together to form a circle around them.

'I bet Renko and Maribel are having a better time than this.' Dutch grumbled as Death-Legs charged in, swinging her staff.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Lake Suwa

Renko crawled out of the water, completely sodden and exhausted. Sanae landed beside her, the total opposite of her current state.

"You improved." The green blue shrine maiden said as she helped Renko up.

"I don't think lasting a a minute longer is an improvement." Renko forced out through her shivering body. The mountain wind combined with her wet clothes created a barrage of cold that worsened her exhausted state.

"I'll get some warm tea. Stay here." Sanae said she noticed Renko's shivering state. She left for her shrine, flying off.

Renko sat against a tree. "Sure, I'll be here." She said to no one.

'I bet Dutch and Maribel are having a better time than this.' Renko thought pitifully.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

With a final burst of effort, Maribel grabbed the ring.

And suddenly she was on solid ground, not hovering in midair over a pool of liquid danmaku. The ground was hard and it was dry but at least it was something she could lie on.

Yukari clapped happily. "Very good. Now we can move on to the next phase of your training."

Too tired to even groan, Maribel simply breathed, savoring what peace she had before Yukari left her in her training from hell.

'I bet Dutch and Renko are having a better time than this.' She thought miserably


	26. The tengu and the human pt 2

**Alright. The ending for the fight. If i had actually combined the last chapter and this together(what i originally thought of), this would be 11000k words, rounding off. So not bad.*not bad face***

**Thanks to Ban3 for working on this and the reviewers for making my day every time they post a comment. RNR will be helpful.**

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Arena

Battle ring

Dutch had trained to fight any target, anywhere and with any weapon.

That didn't mean that he had to like it. Like all humans, he would have rather preferred certain conditions over others. A big wide open space for one. Like a battle ring in an arena.

That gave him little comfort as he avoided a sword aimed at his head. After all, he was trained to fight any human target, not magical constructs that apparently refused to understand the concept of out for the count. A well-placed burst where the neck met the head of the golem sent it crumbling onto the ground, it's orb lying on top of the pile of inanimate rock..

Reloading his carbine, Dutch kept the golem in his eyes' periphery. The rock pile with the orb on top shuddered and started to rise, molding itself as it climbed into the air. Soon, Dutch was looking at a carbon copy clone of the golem he just vanquished.

See? His point exactly.

A roaring swoosh gave him just enough warning to dodge the deadly arc of his opponent's war fan. Mekan tsked as her fan whistled through the space her opponent had occupied mere seconds before. Dutch returned her attack with a burst from his carbine which she blocked with the flat edge of her fan. The kappa grinned as she gestured with her fan again.

The attacking golem fired off a small fireball from the larger one on its shoulders. Dutch slipped out of the way of the fire projectile, his elusiveness akin to a fish in a stream, his proximity to the moving flame almost singed his hair. A quick burst of fire at the fireball made the compressed flame explode, taking the arm of the golem with it. The rock construct shrugged off the damage and continued after its target, armless.

'Does not regenerate damage. But regenerates to full combat capacity when struck down. Hmmm, interesting.' Dutch mused about this newly acquired piece of information as he ducked under the erratic blade of the golem. Without its other hand to hold it properly, the golem swung it around like some amateur swordsman.

Aiming at specific spots on the golem, Dutch dismembered the rock construct. The limbless golem dropped onto the ground, unable to do anything in it current state. It shook with artificial frustration as it lay powerless on the cracked floor.

Dutch reloaded his carbine. Turning his attention back to Mekan, he fired off a burst at the kappa again. Again it was blocked by the flat edge of the war fan.

"Interesting toys you brought." He said.

Mekan grinned. "They are giving your partner a run for her money."

Dutch shifted to Tenma. The silver haired youkai lord was holding her own against the combined force of two golems and Death-legs.

One of the golem slashed with its massive, wicked claymore. Tenma merely parried the blade with her katana and then in one stroke bisected the golem. Spinning on her heel, her katana moved in tandem with her body to block the swinging staff of Death-legs. Metal rang against metal. Tenma then pushed away the staff and stabbed backwards, catching the golem behind her with her blade. She pushed upwards, slicing the golem in half.

Hardly a run for her money.

'It appears that she is as good as she said she is. I don't even think I need to watch her back.'

These thoughts rolled around his mind as Dutch watched the display taking place before him. He noticed how Tenma's sweat gave her skin a gleaming quality and glinted in her hair, amplifying the silver. How her eyes shone with joyful concentration.

'Wait you idiot! There is still a battle going on!' Dutch reprimanded himself. Shaking his head, he cleared the fog from his mind, only to see the thin edge of the war fan heading towards him. Instinctively ducking, he felt the war fan take off the small top portion of his fringe.

Striking out with his hand, Dutch slapped the offending fan and it's attached hand away from his head. He switched to his pistol knife load out and went for a strike with his knife. The metal war fan deflected the diamond blade with a ping.

Mekan scowled as she got into melee combat with Dutch. Since she was using the fan to fight and control the golems at the same time, she could only do one of the above at any one time. She retreated, either blocking or parrying Dutch's persistent attacks.

Dutch feinted a strike with his knife. Mekan took the bait, striking out with her fan. However instead of a blade to meet her fan, Dutch sent out his pistol, trapping the fan between the structure of the pistol and the trigger guard. With his other hand, he slashed with his blade.

Mekan tried to avoid the diamond blade but she was too slow. The knife caught her shoulder, tearing a rip in her clothes and cutting a groove into her flesh. She let out an involuntary yelp of pain.

The cry caught Death-legs attention. She stopped herself in mid-swing and backed out of the fight. Tenma took the welcome reduction of opponents and used the welcome reprieve to bring all of her prowess down upon the golems fighting her.

Dutch concentrated on his target. Once she was hit, Mekan changed to a defensive approach, only moving to block attacks, never attacking. Dutch pressed his advantage, raining strike after strike upon her. She continually blocked his attacks, her youkai body easily shrugging off the small knife wound.

A sudden strike from a metal staff on his arm made Dutch drop his pistol. The staff let out a spark of energy that entered Dutch arm. He let out a hiss of pain as his nerves flared with far more pain then normal. Realizing the disadvantage he was at, he switched his weapon load out again, swapping his knife for the wrist blades. He returned the attack, his other arm numbed and pained by the attack to do anything.

The hiss of pain caught Tenma's attention. Striking down the two golems yet again, she hurriedly put them out of action before moving to help. She stepped in just in time to stop another strike from Death-leg's staff. Sharpened blade met hardened metal in a screeching clash of sound. Dutch used that moment to simultaneously fire off a scarlet strike. The laser shot past Death-legs by inches and exploded against the ground.

Sensing danger their youkai opponents stepped back from the reunited duo.

"It seems I underestimated you." Dutch said as he gave his arm a thorough once-over. It burned from the strike but was of acceptable condition to continue on.

"How is your arm?" Tenma asked as she focused in on her targets. Death-leg's strike on Dutch's arm made her sharpen her resolve against the honey-haired youkai. She would not be leaving the arena without something painful as reminder if Tenma could help it.

"It has seen better times." Was all that Dutch was willing to offer as the he readied for yet another attack.

Mekan grinned. She waved an intricate pattern with her war fan, patterns on the fan coursing with light. A sound, as though wind sighing through trees echoed throughout the arena. A cloud of dust rose throughout the arena. Unheard by the fighters, the audience murmured in confusion.

Dutch and Tenma moved back to back. Both scrutinized the dust, trying to spot any sign of their opponents. Enhanced eyes worked together with youkai eyes.

"Is this what you mean by watching your back?" Dutch said as his eyes failed to pierce the dust cloud. This, in combat situational terms, was the worse place to be.

Tenma smiled despite their situation. "Maybe, you cheeky human."

A disturbance in the dust made Dutch snap up his wrist-blades and fire off a scarlet strike. The red laser broke through the dust cloud, the beam blasting aside the dust particles, blowing a infinitesimal corridor for Dutch to see. It was very small and the red laser occupied most of the visible space but Dutch noted a quick flash of surprised amethyst eyes.

A surprised yelp issued from the dust cloud and echoed around the arena.

Dutch allowed himself a short victorious grin.

The dust cloud started to slacken. Visibility returned to a small area around Dutch and Tenma. The duo checked the seemingly impenetrable dust wall spinning around them. The wind howled gently.

Death-legs appeared out of the dust wall. The youkai was grinning although her honey hair had a black singe in it. Evidence of her battle with Tenma was all over her clothing. Rips and tears decorated her cape and shirt. A strap of her leather armor was completely sliced in half, a line of liquid red covering her skin.

Her opposite on the other hand was completely untouched by the earlier combat. But closer inspection showed that she held her katana with a slight tremble and her breathing was ragged. It seemed while Tenma's skills may have not have degraded, her stamina had.

"You know, this is the first match where an opponent matched us move for move. I'm really impressed. But I will defeat you. You can be sure of that." Death-legs stated, her voice brimming with confidence.

Dutch laughed out loud. "There is more than one version of victory. What you seek is far different from mine."

Death-legs grinned. "Care to show me?"

The spinning dust wall suddenly sped up and condensed into three golems standing in front of her.

"They are yours." Dutch said as he charged Death-legs. The youkai was shocked as the human charged past the the wall of the three golems, sidestepping the swing of the golems claymores. He went for a downward slash, his fist guiding the wrist-blades.

The blade clanged against Death-legs metal staff. The two stared into each other's eyes. The once playful fire in Death-legs eyes was replaced by a determined burn. Both sides challenged the other.

"I will win." Death-legs said as if it was a fact.

"So will I." Dutch answered.

The sound of crumbling golems heralded Tenma's entry into the stare match. She placed her katana close to Death-legs neck, the blade almost touching the skin.

"Forfeit." Tenma ordered, visibly panting.

A swoosh of air made her remove her blade and block Mekan's war fan. The four stood there in that position, all locked in their blocking or attacking stance.

Death-legs lips turned up into a victorious smile. Under her cape, movement rustled. The cape billowed outwards.

From her cape, four blurs of movements shot forward. Dutch jumped backward onto a pile of crumbling golem material, his eyes widening in surprise.

Four spider legs, each of them colored light brown hung in mid-air. Unable to find their target, they retreated nimbly into the cape, disappearing under the cloth, perfectly hidden.

"A Tsuchigumo. No wonder you have that name." Dutch said, his voice nonchalant. That reflected the total opposite of what he felt. If he hadn't jumped back, those legs would have struck him very hard. While it was unlikely they would have speared him, the pain from the strikes would probably have left Death-legs an opening for him to be taken out.

Death-legs pouted, disappointment evident on her delicate features. "Not fair~ How come you were able to avoid my legs?"

Dutch only smiled grimly as he changed his view of his opponent. Despite her playfulness, she was far more dangerous than any opponent he had fought previously. At least he could predict the attacks of the golems, their weapons were clearly visible. This youkai with her blurringly fast spider legs hidden under her cloak would be a monster at close-range combat and he wouldn't even see them coming. He could see how she got her reputation.

In fact, why hadn't he even guessed that she was one? Her reputation already hinted at it and the fault was his that he had not asked Ushi about it. In fact, Dutch realized that for a large portion of the time he spent in Gensokyo, he bumbled into his enemies. While the golems and mountain youkai could be excused, he should have asked more about Flandre and Death-legs. In fact, one could say he left it to chance, a death wish for any soldier.

'Murphy is not your friend.' Dutch thought. Indeed he was not. He really had dulled.

Perhaps a journey would sharpen it. And he knew exactly who to refer to.

Tenma eyes widened slightly at the missed strike at Dutch. She was hardly surprised by the appearance of the spider legs, her experience from dealing with youkai of all types armed her with the knowledge to expect anything. Combining said knowledge with Death-leg's title and she had already predicted the appearance of the sudden attack with the spider legs.

What surprised her was Dutch's impressively fast reflexes. Even most youkai could not react as fast as the human did.

"Hey, wrong person." Mekan taunted as she closed her fan around Tenma's katana. She jerked the fan aside and the katana flew from Tenma's hands. Taking advantage of her opponent's now unarmed state, Mekan went on the offensive, sending out a flurry of attacks.

Tenma deftly avoided the attacks. She tried to reach her katana but Mekan blocked her at every move, drawing her further away from her weapon. Her situation was dire, she noted as she sent a spray of danmaku back.

Dutch saw the trouble his partner was in. As he tried to get up, a shudder from the pile of golem material beneath him made him pause. The pile of stone start to rise, moulding it around the obstruction of the human in its path. Dutch cursed as the rising stone lifted him up and trapped him.

Death-legs simply stopped and laughed at her opponent's predicament.

When the golem was complete, it looked like something out of a badly created horror film. Sticking out of its torso were the rapidly flailing legs of the trapped human. Dutch protruded from its back, cursing repeatedly at his rather awkward situation.

The golem stumbled around in confusion, it's simple magical mind unable to comprehend the strange nature of it's problem. Thankfully, it's confusion was quickly cut short as Dutch stabbed his wrist-blade into its head and scarlet struck a hole though it. The human landed on the ground in a pile of crumbling soil.

Death-legs was wiping the tears from her eyes, smiling away. "Gods, that was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time."

Dutch kept silent as he judged the implications of what had just happened. If the golem built itself around any obstruction in its way, that meant a lot of things. Like how he could win this fight for example.

Pulling himself out of the pile of stone, Dutch left a little something behind. Something powerful. As he moved to help Tenma, a staff blocked his way.

"Im your opponent." Death-legs said with a smile, her eyes daring him to ignore that statement.

Dutch smiled a bright smile before jumping back. Death-legs spider legs shot forward, striking air where a body once stood. The spider legs automatically retracted back to their hiding spot.

"You shall not pass." Death-legs intoned as a pair of golems blocked Dutch from behind. Dutch gave the two golems a stony look before attacking, his wrist-blades cutting through the air. It appeared that Tenma would have to handle Mekan alone.

The tengu lord was having a bad time. While she was successfully avoided Mekan's attacks, her instinct was to attack but with what? Her danmaku against the war fan? The fan blocked all of her shots.

Then her foot struck something. Tenma looked down upon the pistol that Dutch had dropped earlier. Seeing no other choice, Tenma picked up the outsider weapon. Inspecting its strange shape, she put her hand at what appeared to be the weapon's version of a hilt. Her index finger slipped into a strange square ring with some sort of hook inside it.

Getting the feel of the strange weapon, she also took the time to avoid another swing from Mekan. Tenma pointed the outsider weapon at Mekan and pulled the strange hook.

_Bark!_

While she had heard the weapon and it's shots from earlier, the kick of the weapon surprised Tenma. It jumped in her hand, rising as the complex mechanism in the M9 pistol did its job, taking the gases from the expended cartridge to work the slide and bring a new round. The expended round flew out, the entire process happening faster than a blink of an eye.

The badly aimed shot somehow flew true, grazing the side of Mekan. The kappa hissed slightly as she felt the bolt cut through her shirt.

Tenma looked at her weapon with surprise. The weapon seemed to fire really powerful and fast danmaku but also seemed to require the use of ammunition to do so. The jump of the weapon did not surprise her however. Gensokyo's relatively young age meant that before its inception, firearms had already gained some level of recognition in the realm.

Mekan moved back cautiously. Since she was not telepathic, she was not privy to Tenma's thoughts and so assumed that the shot was a well aimed one. Instead, she used her fan to signal the remaining golem to attack for her. It lumbered forward, swinging it's claymore.

Tenma took the switch of opponents with ease, avoiding the massive sword before going for her katana. She took full advantage of Mekan's retreat. Only when it was too late did the kappa realize her mistake as the Tengu lord scooped up her weapon and held it ready. With pistol and katana in hand, things had soured very quickly for the kappa.

Mekan and her golem backed away from Tenma, the golem always facing the silver haired youkai. The golem stayed close to its controller, ready to mindlessly take any damage.

Tenma took the initiative, walking forward. Slowly,the three edged closer to Dutch and Death-leg's fight.

On his end, Dutch finished placing the last of his special presents on the piles of golem material. His plan now complete, he backed away from them, having disguised his planting of the items as a simple crouch to regain his energy. Death-legs went on the offensive assuming that the human was weakening.

Dutch dodged her staff before phasing out a flashbang. Pulling the pin, he counted to the correct time before throwing the blue non-lethal grenade at his opponent.

Death-legs stared at the innocuous blue cylinder, unsure of just what it was capable of. Then it exploded.

_Bang!_

The explosion wrecked Death-legs perception. She stumbled back, her spider legs lashing out in blindness to prevent Dutch from taking the advantage. But no attack came, the human instead taking the time to prepare a far stronger attack.

When full sensory function returned to Death-legs, she was facing Dutch lying prone on the ground, the black arrow ready to fire. Wasting no time,Dutch took aim and unleashed 12.7mm worth of energy into his opponent.

_Boom!_

Death-legs had no time to even do anything. The bolt struck her point blank and exploded. She was sent flying through the air, landing on the far side of the arena.

Mekan abandoned her careful retreat once she saw her partner sailing through the air. She ran to the impact spot, her fan calling all of her golems to protect them. They obeyed the call, retreating to form a defensive semi-circle around the two.

Tenma took the welcome break to head to Dutch. The human was getting up from the floor, phasing away his massive weapon. He gave Tenma a welcome grin.

"Was this a planned part of your journey?" He asked as he accepted his pistol from her. Working the bolt, he noted that the weapon had one less bullet than when he had dropped it and phased it out.

"No. I actually haven't planned for anything in this journey at all." Came the answer.

Dutch grinned. "Would your journey welcome an unplanned tag-along?"

Tenma's heart sang an angelic choir. "I would be glad to." It seemed that her little detour was not a waste at all.

Death-legs rose unsteadily, using her staff for support. While not lethal, the black arrow shot did leave its mark on her, as noted by the large hole burnt in her tunic. She bled from a gash on her forehead and her blackened face grimaced in pain.

"I cannot lose." She said as she stumbled. Mekan hurriedly supported her, lifting her up.

"I cannot lose, not now!" Death-legs shouted again.

Dutch gave her a questioning look. "I'm afraid that is out of the question."

And then he pressed the button on the detonator.

The packs of Semtex hidden inside all three of the golems received their message and obeyed it. They ran power to the fuses in them. It caused a cascade reaction as the Semtex exploded outwards.

_BOOM!_

The three golems blew up, a shock wave rushing out forcing Dutch to steady himself by crouching down. Pieces of golem struck everywhere like some kind of natural shrapnel. Smoke drifted from the site of the deadly explosions , shrouding the whole arena.

Dutch got up from his crouch. He coughed from the smoke as he searched for his partner in the cloud, the poor visibility hindering his job.

Then his foot found a body. Crouching down, he checked. It was Tenma, lying on the floor and she was unconscious.

Checking for the cause of it with his eyes, Dutch spotted a patch of soil covering her forehead. He allowed himself an embarrassed grin as he realized that Tenma had been taken out by a piece of flying golem. Friendly fire had done what two youkai could not.

Oh she was going to be so mad when she woke up.

It appeared that the explosion did more than just jar her into unconsciousness. Dutch noted with surprise that Tenma now sported a pair of glossy black wings.

'A crow tengu. Who would have known?' Dutch thought.

Staying by her side, Dutch did the appropriate first aid procedures until the smoke cleared. Then he got to where his opponents lay on the ground, too weak to continue any further.

"I lost." Death-legs said, both her eyes releasing a river of tears. Mekan was completely unconscious.

"Are you ready to forfeit?" Dutch asked as he knelt down beside her.

"Yes I for..."

"No, you misunderstand my question. Are you ready to forfeit?" Dutch asked again, cutting her off before she could complete her sentence.

Death-legs gave the human a disgusted look through her tears. It appeared that now the human wanted to insult her by skirting around the question.

"Yes, I am ready." Death-legs forced out. At the moment, she had little choice. But she swore, one day, she would defeat the human for the insult.

Dutch smiled thankfully. He had accomplished his goal.

"Good because I forfeit." He announced loud and clearly, the thrill of victory coursing through his veins.

Death-legs was stunned.

"Victory, Death-legs and partner. Condition. Forfeit of battle by Tenma pet human and partner." The announcer exclaimed, his voice indicating his own shock at the sudden turn of events.

Dutch winced at the title. He got up and returned to Tenma, where he picked up her sleeping form and headed toward the now opening exit doors, a crowd of attendant youkai rushed out to do their jobs.

"Wait!" Death-legs called as she lifted herself painfully to a sitting position. Dutch stopped, his back facing her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Hakashi. My name is Hakashi Utsudo." Death-legs or now Utsudo said before being surrounded by a crowd of attendants.

Dutch nodded before leaving the arena.


	27. Relatively normal recovering

**Sniff. What can i say. It was a hell of a night.**

**oh wait...wrong universe.**

**Any way, this wraps up the entirely of the Arena arc and hints at the next one. And i swear, by the next chapter, i will have a lynch mob gunning for my head.**

**RNR so i may enjoy this while i still can.**

**That being said...enjoy.*Hurriedly starts carrying supplies to a nuclear bomb shelter***

* * *

><p>?<p>

The world burned.

Tenma sucked in a breath of acrid air as she walked down the battlefield, Eri by her side. Small fires flickered around them and the air was pungent with the smell of cooked flesh. Crows cawed as they descended upon the feast below them.

'Just like our namesake, we descended upon them.'

The grim thought drifted through Tenma's mind as figures obsured by the viscous smoke took off, returning to the village, their dark deed done.

"How many?" She asked as the pair passed an eviscerated corpse. Both could not tell whether it was human or youkai.

"Thirty at final count. Our crow tengu ambushed them from the skies with no losses." Eri reported these facts as though discussing the preparations for a walk around the palace as they continued to see first-hand the damage the crow tengu had done. These foreign humans, white men as they called themselves, had scoffed at their short swords, their wakizashis. They called it weak, labeling it as a toy compared to their great swords.

The result of their arrogance stood around Tenma.

A gasp made Tenma and Eri turn. A human, lay mortally wounded against a tree. The steadily bleeding wound around her chest made predicting her fate easy. She stared at the pair of youkai with hate.

"Foul creatures. Using such tactics." She spat in a spray of blood.

Eri moved to pull out her scimitar but was stopped by Tenma. The silver-haired youkai lord motioned her to stand down and walked up to the human woman.

"It does not matter. I Won." Tenma retorted, slightly surprised that a foreigner knew the language of the land.

The woman grinned. "It does not matter? Hah!" She uttered a caustic laugh, releasing a spray of blood.

Tenma did not flinch as she was showered with crimson droplets of blood.

"When we disappear, others will know. More will come and your unnatural existence will be wiped from this land. This land belongs to the humans." The woman coughed as if each word drew more of her rapidly depleting life force from her .

Tenma grabbed the human woman and lifted her up by her throat. The woman gasped as she felt the grip tighten.

"We were here before you, human. We have far more right to this land than you. " She hissed. She dropped the human and sighed in contempt.

"Your arrogance human, disgusts me."

The human woman, grinning a death smile, reached behind her back for a small hand-held crossbow. "Your time has passed." She said victoriously as she pulled the trigger.

The crossbow bolt left its weapon.

A white and yellow blur appeared next to the human and knocked the crossbow bolt out of its flight. Then with the same movement, it decapitated the human woman. Her face frozen in a death grin, the woman died. Her body jerked as her nerves fired their last.

The bolt clattered on the hard, cold ground and lay still.

Ran Yakumo dropped the head. Her claws retracted into her blood-stained hands as she licked the blood off the tips of her slender fingers. A pair of tamed predatory eyes gazed at Tenma.

"Kitsune of Yakumo. How is your new master?" Tenma appeared unfazed by the near death experience she had just gone through or by the supremely powerful youkai in front of her. The platinum haired youkai knew that the newly-created shikigami would already have killed her if Yukari wanted it so.

"Yukari-sama sends her regards." Ran answered, her hand cleaned of the lifeblood of the human.

Tenma nodded. "What news does her shikigami bring?"

"The herald of her mistress's arrival." Yukari answered as she walked out of the smoke.

Ran bowed to her mistress. Yukari nodded to her underling's greeting and motioned for Ran to be off. The Kitsune obeyed her mistress gestures and disappeared into a conveniently placed gap.

"She changed fast." Tenma noted.

Yukari smiled. "She is only mine in body. I hope to convince her spirit one day."

Tenma nodded as they started to stroll down the destroyed land.

"I have convinced the shogunate of the dangers of these... White men, as they call themselves. However, they wish to trade with these foreigners and their technology. As of such, they have compromised. The foreigners will be confined to a small city. That is the furthest they are willing to go." Yukari announced as they walked.

"I am surprised that they would listen to you." Tenma noted. Relations with the humans are only confined to a few cities as youkai are not commonly known to band together. And even then, only humans of power actually knew of the organized youkai. Your average villager would only know of monsters and nuisances, not organized societies.

"What affects Honshu affects Gensokyo.."

The golden haired youkai looked to the heavens, her gaze appearing distant.

"Though the clouds are rumbling, I expect turbulent weather."

"Conflict again? So soon after the Ōnin war?" Tenma frowned. While the tengu were safe from the majority of the fighting, there was bound to be some fallout. She would have to co-opt in the Hanataka tengu if it got bad. Yukari merely hunched her shoulders and exhaled.

"The recent earthquakes and famine have caused unrest. Even the gods have to make difficult choices in these strife filled times."

She chuckled scornfully. "These humans. Their lives are so short and so too are their memories. Within a blink of an eye, you see another and another. And with the changing tides comes the breaking of the old. The time of the youkai is passing. Our grip is being shaken. We must do what we must to survive."

Tenma's frown deepened. What was Yukari getting at?

"I hope to create a land, a land in which youkai can live freely. A world safe from human intervention." The gold tressed woman paused for a moment, allowing the concept to sink in.

"For that, I need your help. You represent the largest group of organized youkai in Honshu. You control what most call uncontrollable. I need your support if I am able to succeed in this endeavor. Already the local shrine has agreed to follow through. I can't however, create a land for youkai without youkai."

"What do you need?" Tenma asked, as she strained to keep her excitement at bay. A land for youkai? Free of youkai hunters? This was something even she had never dreamed of.

"Your support for now." Yukari said.

Tenma folded her arms across her chest, finally nodding, she looked up at the flaxen haired youkai beside her.

"That can be arranged."

The scene started to fade into a smoky blur.

"He is a good choice, Tenma." Yukari's voice rang out as everything around her gradually blanketed in smoke.

Tenma blinked as she realized she was experiencing a past memory. It had seemed as if she was once again standing on that smoldering battlefield, as if it were real, but nonetheless, it had been a dream and she was still in it.

"If I can minimize the amount of danger you have to face, then yes I would. Even if it hurts me." Dutch's voice rang out in the smoke.

She remember a conversation she had had just a couple days earlier. A conversation with a certain gap youkai.

"He brings a special skill set that will solve your problem. An outsider skill set." Yukari had told her.

Tenma remembered these words frowning. Using a human? It was risky but there would be very little long term problems for the tengu. If the worst came to the worst, she could dispatch the crow tengu to take care of the human.

"Very well, I shall try him." Tenma said.

And look where she was now. Feeling possessive of that specific human.

But she could not help it. There was something about the human that drew her in. That young face with the eyes of one that had seen monsters. The well-shaped body, not bulky but streamlined. The fact that he did not treat every new youkai he met with hate.

Tenma wondered what sort of relationship they now had. One between equals or something more? Partners? Something more?

Then she entertained the notion of Dutch under her servitude. What would he be like? Defiant? Submissive? Broken? Scheming?

As a mental image of Dutch appeared, a look of hopelessness on his face, she did a double take.

BY THE GODS WHAT WAS SHE THINKING NOW!

This is unacceptable! She screamed at herself. The Tengu slapped herself mentally, punishing herself for having such an idea...

Too bad her body actually followed through with it.

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Arena

Challenger rooms

Dutch sat, disassembling his carbine.

While he did not need to, the vault being more than capable of magically maintaining the weapon at peak capacity, it was one of the many ways he wound down after a fight.

He disassembled the weapon, carefully checking to ensure that everything was in place. Several parts of the firing mechanism were incredibly small and any error here would essentially turn his weapon into a paperweight. Having double checked his work, Dutch proceeded to reassemble the weapon.

Whoever converted the weapon to have a left side charging handle was a genius, Dutch decided. It made his job so much easier.

Having rebuilt his weapon, Dutch pulled the charging handle to arm the weapon. He pulled the trigger, expecting to hear the click of the firing pin.

_Slap!_

That was not a click.

Dutch turned to the bed. Tenma blinked, awoken by her self-induced pain.

"Any reason why you decided to hurt yourself?"

Tenma took a single look at the human and blushed, her pale face turning the hue of rubies. She kept quiet, looking incredibly sorry for some reason. Not privy to the images that ran through her head, Dutch decided to ignore the matter.

"You know what? Forget it. I don't need to know. A better question is how are you? You took quite a beating back there."

Tenma gladly accepted Dutch's words. Telling a person that you have been dreaming of him as a servant to you would generally be a sure fire way to experience extreme awkwardness.

"What happened? Did we lose?" Tenma asked. She had no memory of the ending of the fight since she was out for the count during that period. She wondered what could have knocked her out.

"First, you got hit by a flying piece of golem when they blew up. Secondly, yes we did lose. I forfeited." Dutch said. He braced himself for the expected attack.

"What? Why?" Tenma all but squawked. She had the full level of confidence in the human's abilities. After all, he managed to beat an entire squad of white wolf tengu. To learn that he was bested by a pair of upstart arena fighters was unacceptable to her.

Dutch readied his explanation. "Because I did not come to win. I came to secure my position."

Tenma's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Remember when I said that I came to address the problem of youkai wanting to challenge me? Well it would be problematic if I had managed to beat the best. If I did that, every youkai would want to fight the new human that managed to beat one of the best fighters. After all, he is just a human. So I did something else."

He took a breath to replenish his air supply and continued. "I checked with Ushi. Apparently what I did does not constitute being defeated. In fact, we clearly won. Not that you were awake to actually realize it but we had won. I forfeited because I did not need the formal declaration of victory. As of now, only those who saw the battle know that I won, but forfeited. The rest of the youkai would only hear that Death-legs had beaten another fighter in the arena."

"And what does this mean?" Tenma asked, not understanding the reasoning behind his move.

Dutch smiled. "It means that any youkai wanting to beat me would have to go through Death-legs first, even if they do not know why. Since she was one of the best, we now have a confirmed powerful barrier for any youkai who wish to challenge us. It helps to weed out the weak ones and narrow down the fighters we have to fight to the ones that defeated Death-legs. Given her track record of constant victories, it might be a long time before we have to fight someone."

Tenma nodded, finally understanding the reason behind Dutch's actions. She marveled at the plan. It was simple and as Dutch had said, it helped narrow down the fighters that they would have to contend with.

"I would rather that you use her name."

Dutch and Tenma turned to the door where a glowering Mekan stood.

"My partner does not know her name after all. Using her name would cause confusion." Dutch offered.

Mekan pursed her lips. "Utsudo told you her name. The least you could do is use it."

Dutch sighed. "Alright, alright. How is she anyway?"

"She's fine. Your attack did quite a number on her but it's nothing that she cannot pull through." Mekan grinned wryly.

Tenma took the opportunity to ask a question. "The staff that Utsudo used, it's a hunter's staff, isn't it?"

Mekan nodded cautiously.

"How can she use it? It is a weapon made to hunt youkai after all." Tenma continued. For a youkai to use a weapon that was made to hunt it would require a strong will and a great level of insanity. The weapon would have caused the youkai wielder pain on contact. To hold it would have brought out a torrent of pain on the youkai. Most youkai would simply just drop it and use their own body. It would hurt a lot less that way.

"She tamed it. That's all I shall say." It appeared Mekan would offer no further comments on that discussion.

"I see." Tenma muttered, accepting that that was end to the subject.

"So why are you here? I hardly believe that you came to here to gloat about your victory." Dutch placed extra emphasis on the word 'victory.' He knew it would be foolish for them to come just to gloat about their win, since they knew they had clearly lost.

"I'm just here to convey a message. She asks for a meeting, preferably at a time when both of you are available. She is indisposed at the moment." Mekan told him, her voice guileless.

Dutch nodded. "And how shall we contact you when the time is right?"

Mekan tossed an orb over to Dutch who snatched it out of the air. The grey ball sparked with compressed light.

"When we want to contact you, this will transform." The kappa said before turning and leaving. Her mane of navy blue hair swished as it and it's owner disappeared behind the door.

Dutch stared at the door, the thinking process in his head clearly displayed for Tenma to see.

"What are you thinking?" The youkai lord asked.

Dutch looked at his arm where Utsudo had struck with her staff. "Can the power of a hunter staff be redirected back at humans?"

Tenma shook her head. "No it cannot. The staff is resistant to any tampering. The magic that powers it is built into the staff and cannot be changed by any means. We tried. Why do you ask this question?"

"Because just now, when the staff struck me, it fired off a magical burst into my arm. That strike hurt much worse than normal." Dutch answered grimly, a hint of worry clear in his voice. If a hunter staff actually worked against him, then he was not human. And if he was not human, what was he?

"I'm sure it might have something to do with your ability. Certain abilities can set off anti-youkai weapons." Tenma answered reassuringly.

Dutch nodded, happy with the answer. "Thanks. Good to know there is a good explanation for it. Anyway, it's getting late. Unless you want to spend the night here, we need to head back to the guild. I'll wait outside while you get ready."

Tenma nodded. She waited before Dutch left the room before getting out of bed.

Outside, Dutch closed the door. Sliding it into place with a click, he scoffed in annoyance. "How long do you plan on keeping the blade there tengu?"

Eri stood behind him, the tip of her katana pointed at the back of his neck.

"If it guarantees Lord Tenma's safety, forever." She answered.

"Her safety is hers to decide. You can hold the blade forever but if she decides to face danger, what are you going to do? Bar her?" He returned, none too concerned by the blade.

"No but you cannot be forgiven. You do not treat her with the level of respect she deserves and you even bit her hand. As the highest member of her guard, I cannot let this transgression pass." Eri shot back haughtily.

"Tengu are not very smart about secret procedures, are they?" Dutch snickered.

The words surprised Eri. It was so different from what she had expected that she paused, her jaw gaping as she tried to regain command of the muscles which her stunned brain had forgotten how to control.

"Firstly, if she is traveling in secret, giving her a high level of respect goes against the objective of hiding. How many youkai have the position to have humans give them respect? Anyone with a good head will know something is different. Secondly, in your sentences, you have just given away who she is. You, a member of her guard. You might as well have her entire protection detail follow her, at least she would be safer that way. Lastly, it was merely a playful gesture. Even she herself shrugged it off." Dutch ticked off each point on his fingers.

"The rule of traveling incognito is to discard everything. Even tradition. If one cannot, what is the point of doing so?" He finished.

"Ah..." Eri stammered, shocked that the tables had been turned so quickly. Now the human was lecturing her, instead of her impressing on him the enormity of Tenma's position.

"She is safe with me. Or at least as safe as a human who is well-versed in what's important can bring. I have no intention of letting her come to harm if I can help it. I can give you that much." Dutch said, his eyes resolute.

"Why? Humans have always hated youkai." Eri answered, reduced to simple questions by her still floundering mind.

Dutch shrugged. "As dumb as it may sound, it's what inside that counts. Humans can be just the same as monsters. Although I admit, there's something about her that I can't seem to leave. Maybe it's her or something but I feel that I should be protecting her for the duration of this journey, seeing how I have experience in this sort of life."

Eri nodded as he spoke, silently accepting the explanation. As she scanned Dutch's face for any sort of deception, she saw a look on his face. It was the look of a person who was willing to sacrifice anything. Anything and everything for a loved one.

Could it be?

Eri prepared to discard the idea. A loving bond between a youkai and a human? Impossible. Both sides were too different to have such a bond exist.

But as the idea started to disappear, Eri reviewed the facts. Tenma told her advisers that Dutch was the one who highlighted her problems. And after the human appeared, there was a change in Tenma. It was not good or bad but a change nevertheless.

Perhaps it might be possible, no matter how impossible it might seem. If it was real, Eri at least knew now that a possibly serious threat was really an asset.

So she would wait. Wait to see what came out of this. Right now, it seemed that the human was not consciously aware of his own feelings. Only time would tell.

"Very well human. I trust your word. If she comes to any harm, I will find you."

Her words left no doubt as to what she was saying, Dutch grinned, the threat fully understood.

* * *

><p>Challenger rooms<p>

Mekan reached for the door, as her hand touched the oily knob, a crash sounded from the room on the other side. Hurriedly, the kappa pulled the door open. Sprawled on the floor, her legs in a confusing mess, Utsudo winced at the pain as well as the sight of her friend. Tears appeared at the sides of her slit eyes.

"What in the old hells are you doing?" Mekan shouted as she bustled across the room to lift the Tsuchigumo up onto the bed she had fallen off of.

Utsudo brushed away a strand of honey gold hair from her face and smiled faintly at Mekan.

"Don't you dare sit there and smile at me! You are not exactly in the best state of health to be running around!" Mekan snarled as she pushed the youkai down into the bed.

"I need to tell the others that we will be back late." Utsudo mumbled pathetically, she allowed Mekan to cover her with a blanket.

"No you do not! I can handle that, you rest!" Mekan ordered. The Tsuchigumo obeyed the kappa, sliding into the bed until she was just a lump into the blanket.

As Mekan picked up one of her orbs, Utsudo spoke.

"I still remember that day. That day when father and mother died defending me."

Mekan's expression softened. "They died for your sake. What would they feel if you went around in your injured state?"

The lump trembled.

"I still remembered what I promised. That I will never lose a battle. That I will be indomitable so that father and mother will be proud of me and what happened to me will never happen to anyone else again. And now I lost." Utsudo whispered, unseen tears trickling down her cheeks.

A pair of hands surrounded her covered body. "Don't think that way. To be indomitable is not to be undefeated but to be able to stand up even when you are defeated and be strong. That is why the orphans look up to you, Utsudo. Because you are the indomitable one that they need."

The orb chimed gently. "Onee-sama!" A voice cried out urgently.

Her hands left the blanket in a flash.

"What happened?" Mekan cried into the orb. The urgency in the voice from the orb drove shards of fear into both of the youkai's hearts.

"Mekan Onee-sama! Some bad people are at the orphanage! They hit Rosa-San!" The voice blurted out, her own fear radiating from the magical orb.

"Hide yourself, we are coming." Utsudo stood up painfully, a fire blazing in her eyes. She reached for her clothes but was stopped by Mekan's hand.

"Are you sure of this? You are still in really bad shape." The kappa looked at her friend, worry for her as well as the orphanage occupied her mind and showed clearly upon the window of her face.

The Tsuchigumo gave her a bright smile. "Isn't this the meaning of being indomitable?"

Mekan hesitantly released her hand. Resigned, she reached for her war fan and her coin pouch full of orbs. Reaching into the coin pouch, she pulled out three blue orbs and handed them over to Utsudo.

"Take it. If you are going into a fight, at least I know that there is something else protecting your spidery butt when I am not watching." She commanded. Utsudo grinned and nodded, accepting the blue orbs and putting them in a pocket of her tunic.

As she pulled on her clothes and a buckled on a new set of leather armor, her face slowly drained of humor until it transformed into a resolute expression. When she picked up her hunter's staff, there was an inferno in her eyes.

She looked at her friend and saw the same blaze in the eyes of her friend. The two arena fighters left their room.

Though courageous, both were gripped by a cold fear that it might not be enough.

* * *

><p>Arena entrance<p>

Dutch and Tenma walked out into the evening sun.

Streams of citrine orange and glorious gold stretched above them, turning the once white clouds into patches of amber. Occasionally, a crow tengu flew over them, returning to the safety of the village before it got dark.

"How are we going to take care of lodging?" Dutch asked as he walked in front of her to the guild.

Tenma regarded him with surprise. The question had appeared out of nowhere and she had no answer for it.

"From what I saw of your lodging, you have only one bed. I highly doubt that you would prefer that we both share the same bed, would you?" Dutch continued, his forward positioning making him unable to read her expression. Good, because Tenma was blushing furiously from the idea of it.

"Ah well, we could have the guild grant you a room after all. Your seal should do the trick." Tenma said, fighting to bring down the red in her cheeks before Dutch saw it.

Just then, two figures streaked past them in a hurry. The long azure mane and honey gold hair made it patently clear who they were but the two showed no sign of recognizing them. Both of them gripped their weapons tightly as they trotted down the street.

"They seem to be in a hurry." Dutch remarked as the pair watched the two disappearing into the distance.

Then another pair of youkai passed them, also moving fast. These two kept wicked looking clubs by their side as they tracked their path. They radiated an air of malice as they moved.

They gave Dutch a bad feeling.

"Hey Teri. Can you make it back to the guild on your own?" He asked.

Tenma gave him a suspicious look. "Of course I could. Why do you ask?"

"Because I have a bit of trailing to do. Those youkai following Mekan and Utsudo don't exactly look like they are selling milk and cookies." Dutch said this as his nanotech infused eyes target designated them. A pair of arrows flickered into being over their heads, indicating their position to him.

She grabbed his hand tightly.

"No."

Dutch turned to her with an incredulous expression painting his face.

"Or at least, not without me. We are partners." She said, smiling warmly.

Dutch remembered his promise to Eri that Tenma would not come to any harm. And then he also remembered Tenma having just accepted his request to follow her on her journey. Thinking fast, he chose what seemed right.

"Okay. But keep a low profile." he answered, hoping fervently that Eri would not strangle him if she ever found out.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

"Why that..."

Vale glowered jealously as her point of view and Tenma proceeded to follow the two other youkai.

This Tenma. Like Vale, she was a person that managed to garner a rather large reaction from Dutch... That made her someone to look out for.

Vale fumed silently as she watched from Dutch's view. Since she was stuck in the vault, she could only interact physically with him when he fell asleep. That meant that the time he spent with her was far less than the time he spent with Tenma.

The thought that her Dako was spending less time with her awoke a dark monster in the back of her mind, a beast that howled in fury. That meant that she was losing her Dako to someone else.

Wait. Her Dako?

Vale backpedaled from her angry thoughts. What was she thinking, acting as if Dako was some sort of property belonging to her?

She, however, could not rid herself of the Dako centred thoughts which swam about her mind.

What was Dutch to her? She had entertained ideas of him and her together in love but she had always regarded it as an impossibility, a play on reality. Right now though, she was not so sure.

The beautiful, crystalline angel sat down and thought. She needed an answer for herself.


	28. Children Haven and the Daughter's choice

**Here we go! The start of the very much anticipated(For me at least) memory arc! Or ait more simply, the past life of so and so OC.**

**This one was a serious slog but it is not as bad for this one certain chapter. To be warned, End of chapter contains graphic(I think) descriptions of a certain level.**

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

**As usual, Ban3 gets the credit for polishing this rough diamond and I eagerly await your reactions.**

* * *

><p>Forest of magic<p>

Some distance away from the youkai market

Orphanage of lost dreams

The orphanage.

A home for children and lost souls, given Gensokyo's dog eat dog nature, lost children, while not entirely common, can still be found in considerable numbers. Not just humans, but even youkai families get torn apart in the wilds of the Land of Illusion, either by other youkai or youkai hunters. When such a sad event happens, the orphanage is at least there for these shattered souls to regain a chance at a decent life.

Utsudo was one of them. When she was young, her parents were killed by a group of vengeful youkai hunters. Only with the intervention of another human did she survive the attack. That human was Rosa, a young woman brimming with a sense of justice. She saved Utsudo and brought her home after performing a burial ceremony for her parents.

At first, Utsudo pushed the bright human away. After all her parents were killed by humans. Why trust one?

Eventually, Rosa managed to penetrate the hard shell of the young Tsuchigumo. She worked her away into the heart of the youkai and gained her unwavering trust, Utsudo became her first orphan.

There were many more afterwards. It seemed that lost children gravitated to the human. But housing them was a big problem. There were a ton of issues to contend with, such as taking care of the children and ensuring that the youkai and human children did not murder each other. Then there was the aging issue. Humans aged faster then youkai did. Even factoring in the longer-than-normal lifespan that humans had due to the barrier, certain youkai would have only reached their prime by the time a human had literally lived his or her entire lifespan and that was only at the shorter end of the youkai aging chart.

Using the power of understanding and love and tolerance, Rosa managed to bring both to an understanding. It was at this moment that Rosa knew what she had to do. Using pure effort and a healthy dose of motivation, Rosa built an orphanage to house these souls. From that moment on, the children had a place to call home.

Utsudo smiled to herself, thankful for the one who had given her a chance at life. If it wasn't for Rosa, she wouldn't have been where she was now. She owed almost all of her good fortune to her, so when news came that someone was attacking the orphanage, she rushed to the scene with Mekan.

Woe to the one who dared do such a thing.

Mekan flew beside her. The magical kappa rolled an orb in her hands, thinking up ways to defeat their opponents. Like the kappa, Utsudo could fly but she preferred not to. The feel of her legs striking the ground, feeling the soft rich, soil around her feet, was something she liked.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the two, they arrived at the orphanage. It was a simple two story affair with a dormitory wing adjoining it. A wall encircled the whole place, glowing with vivid runic symbols, an important defense when considering exactly where the orphanage was located. Four small towers jutted out of the four corners of the wall, each radiating power.

The main gate stood wide open, the wooden structure creaking mournfully on its hinges. Without a second thought, the two arena fighters ran inside.

Inside, viridian green grass ringed the whole orphanage. Normally, the children would still be playing while the older ones would either watch over them or help Rosa since the night was still young. Now however, they sat clumped in a group, a pair of youkai keeping a less than interested eye on them. A human women huddled in front of them in her, she appeared to be in her later years, although how old she truly was would be hard to guess, given Gensokyo's out-of-whack aging system.

Towering over the entire group a scaly lizardman stood by idly, his forked tongue flicked in and out rapidly as he saw his targets enter the courtyard.

"Hello, Death-Legsss. You have a debt to repay me." The lizard-man hissed, scorn tinging his tone.

Utsudo shot him a burning glare. "Do I know you?"

The lizard-man laughed wickedly. "Not yet you don't. But you will... Soon enough. You see, I made a reputation for myself by betting on arena winners. The more I win, the more I get. And what I cannot win, I make sure that it wins. By any means necessary."

He paused then, a translucent membrane flicked across his eyes before retracting once again.

"But you! You always had a winning streak! Never defeated! And then you lossst! To a human! My string of winning betsss broken! For that, you mussst pay!" The lizard-man seethed, looking more maniacal with each word.

Both of the fighters could not see the logic of the words. "What does my winning streak have to do with the children? They have done nothing wrong!" Utsudo shouted back.

The lizard-man hissed in laughter. "You made me lose sssomething, therefore I shall do the sssame to you."

Two cries of agreement behind them made Utsudo and Mekan turn around. A pair of youkai stood behind them, both holding wickedly shaped clubs.

Utsudo and Mekan held up their weapons as the lizard-man grinned victoriously. Gesturing with his hand, one of the guards raised his club over the figure of the old human woman. The arena fighters both froze.

That was when the two clubs came down upon them.

* * *

><p>Gate<p>

Dutch watched the scene unfold silently, having hidden in the shadows cast by the gate and wall. He gripped his carbine fiercely when Utsudo and Mekan were attacked from behind.

'Everywhere you go, there is always at least one megalomaniacal asshole.' Dutch thought grimly. It was time for the megalomaniac to get a hard dose of reality.

As he scanned all of the youkai, he noted one thing. They all looked hardened, but they also seemed to radiate an aura of hunger. A hunger for power. The same hunger that was being fulfilled by towering menacingly over the children.

Okay, he could not take these people seriously if they loved the power drawn from scaring children.

Carefully leaning against the wall, he put down his carbine and carefully and silently phased in his anti-material rifle. Following his mental commands, the vault phased out the weapon in a flash of black light.

'Get them Dako.' Vale whispered to him.

Dutch nodded to his daughter's words. Now he had a double incentive to bring down these youkai.

Lifting up the heavy weapon, Dutch sighted his scope on the other pair of youkai watching over the children. He braced himself against the wall, waiting for the signal that would initiate the plan he thought up.

A feather floated down beside him. Dutch glanced to the gently falling object and grinned. She was ready.

"I would ask you to pick on someone your own size, but seeing how you are willing to hold children hostage, I guess it would be pretty much be pointless."

Every single eye turned to the figure holding the weapon in the dark.

"You! Human, you have done me a great wrong. After I am done with thisss fool, prepare for your own end!" The lizard-man sneered, none too concerned by the fact that the human had managed to get close to them without being noticed. He should have been.

Dutch's grin got bigger as he readied to fire. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he remembered to safety on, unless he wanted the children to be close to an explosion of lethal proportions.

His final adjustments completed, Dutch took a final look down the scope.

The idiots had completely taken their attention off of him to focus on the beating still being doled out to the arena fighters.

**Boom!**

The 12.7mm bolt shot over the grass lawn. It impacted one of the youkai guarding the children and sent it flying further down the lawn, impacting the runic wall at the other end. Things broke. Not the wall.

The other guard opened his eyes in surprise at the sudden attack when suddenly from above, a black winged figure swooped in and struck him. The guard collapsed, a katana straight through his back. Tenma pulled out the blade, a line of blood showing just how deep the sword had plunged.

The human woman took the chance. Shouting to her charges, she got them to run. The crowd of children and teenagers ran for the orphanage, an organized move towards safety.

'Hmmm, they have done this before.' Dutch thought impressed, as he phased out the heavy anti-material weapon. Picking up his rifle, he emerged into the dull, night's light.

On the arena fighters' end, once the hostages were freed from their guards, they were free to fight. Cruel clubs raised once again, but never made the trip down.

Mekan, using her war fan, slashed at the arm of her attacker. The youkai howled in pain as the metal edge slid cleanly through his flesh. His howls were cut off when a closed fan whacked him hard on the side of the head.

Utsudo simply used her spider legs to barrage her own attacker with strikes. Wholly unprepared for the sudden change in situation, the youkai was pummeled repeatedly with hits until he gave up the fight and dropped unconsciously onto the grass.

Now the lizard-man was at the wrong end of an outnumbered fight. He roared in anger as he kicked a previously hidden bag at his foot. Reaching inside, he pulled out something that made the soldier's blood run cold.

A lever action rifle.

"Duck!" He yelled as the first bright shots flew pass his head.

The lizard-man laughed as he saw his opponents move to avoid his shots. "This is my power! I decide who wins and who loses!"

'Pain in the ass.' Dutch swore as he took in the situation. They were on open land, no cover, facing an enemy with a rifle. And if he stopped to take proper aim, the lizard-man would probably shoot him.

On the lizard-man's end however, he was having trouble using his rifle properly. The larger than human hand of the youkai was making his use of the gun clumsy. He was still a credible threat though, as an aimed shot almost took the Tokin off Tenma's head

'Oh no he didn't do that.' Dutch thought. The lizard-man just made himself a dead person.

Phasing out his rifle, Dutch took off in a dead run, heading straight for his target. The lizard-man took aim at the running human target, firing as fast he could.

Dutch jumped aside as the first bright shot flew toward him. Rolling back up he continued along his run, getting closer. The lizard-man fired again, the bright bolt just missing Dutch's head.

He wouldn't have a third shot.

Dutch jumped out. Raising his arm back, he threw all of his power into the punch, ramming his fist into the side of the lizard-man's head. The strike from the enhanced human was enough to stun the lizard-man, making him fall back.

Dutch took up the dropped lever action rifle and worked the lever. The brass shell popped out, bringing with it the promise of death.

"No! I decide the winner! I bet therefore I win!" The lizard-man moaned in disbelief.

Dutch simply aimed the rifle at the head of the youkai.

"You won a bullet."

He pulled the trigger. The youkai jerked and stopped.

It was over.

Dutch worked the lever again and slung the weapon over his back. He turned to the two arena fighters. "Are you okay?"

Both Mekan and Utsudo nodded, the spider youkai more faintly...

Then Utsudo collapsed.

* * *

><p>Night<p>

Utsudo opened her eyes.

A smiling face greeted her.

"Rosa-San." She murmured.

The old human woman smiled. "So how did you lose, my itty bitty spider?"

Utsudo blushed at the nickname that the old lady gave to her. It was one that only Rosa knew and one that she used a lot.

"I just did, I guess." Utsudo answered, unable to really answer the question.

"Does that make you dominated?" Rosa continued.

Utsudo shook her head. "To be indomitable is to stand up strong even when defeated." She quoted Mekan.

Rosa smiled proudly. "Then you really are the indomitable one. I'm proud of you."

Utsudo blushed again from the praise.

Rosa stood up from the chair she was sitting on. She walked to the door and reached to unlock it.

"It's time to spin your own web, itty bitty spider."

And with that said, the door was opened.

"UTSUDO ONEE-SAMA!"

The sound was echoed by the wave of children that rushed in through the door. Grinning like the young kids that they were, they all rushed to pour out their emotion to the indomitable one of the orphanage.

Dutch stood at the door, smiling at the scene. However, his smile was more bittersweet than happy. Looking at the children, he was reminded of his own.

Many thoughts surrounded his relationship with his daughter. The uniqueness of both the people involved aside, Dutch realized that he really did not know that much about his daughter. What she liked, what she hated or even what she did while he was out of vault. All those was simply unknown to him.

Frankly, Dutch had no idea what he should do as a father. Lack of experience aside, Vale wasn't your average in between teen-and-child girl. She was an entity of timeless age, a being that had seen the passage of humanity from sticks to computers. Not only that, her safety was an easy to solve problem. All she needed to do was to stay in the vault and she would be safe. Her mental health on the other hand was being directly impacted by her residence within the vault. Dutch could only guess how frustrated she must feel from being confined, only capable of watching him in danger. Dutch understood how powerless she must feel. He knew the feeling well.

Sure he could stumble along but that was what he had been doing up until now, and look how that had turned out.

Leaving the scene, Dutch headed into the cool, night air. Some of the older orphans stared at him with either respect or suspicion or sometimes both. No doubt they had heard of his victory and loss against Utsudo in the arena. He paid them no attention. There were more important things to worry about.

With the hostage takers taken out, there was still the problem of disposal. No one wanted rotting corpses on the grass of the orphanage. Firstly, it would stink to high heaven and secondly, it would probably scar the orphans.

But as he opened the door, he noticed that the grass was devoid of dead or unconscious bodies. A trio of golems coming through the gate left an answer to that problem. One particularly had a line of blood running down it.

"They are incredibly useful." Mekan said, landing on the ground beside him. As golem controller, she supervised the disposal operation from above. It helped to disconnect her from the grim task.

"Wait, you left the alive and the dead ones together? Wouldn't it draw the meat eaters to the living ones as well?" Dutch asked.

Mekan shrugged. "Not our problem."

That said, she entered the orphanage. Dutch turned to the walls of the orphanage. Climbing it with the help of a helpfully placed ladder, he reached the top of the stone barrier.

Looking out into the forest, he heard the sound of wings flying through the air. A moment later, the soft sound of sandals touching down, thudded gently behind him.

"How was it? Taking a thinking life with your own hands?" Dutch asked, looking into the trees.

Tenma regarded him with a curious look. "Didn't you take the life of the leader?"

Dutch gave her a bitter grin. "A side of ranged weaponry is the disconnection between killer and killed. You don't feel the body dying in your hands. It is simply aim and shoot."

Tenma breathed out. "It feels natural for me. I'm youkai after all. Killing is part of my skills."

Dutch nodded knowingly. "It seems youkai and human aren't that much similar after all."

Just them, a distant cry echoed out from the forest. It could have been an animal form youkai simply sounding out or a cry of death from an unarmed youkai meeting his unfortunate end. Both paid the sound no notice.

Dutch turned to face the orphanage. "You know, I never knew if I was born or made. The only person who knew is dead and everything relating to the subject is dust."

"I see." Tenma answered.

"From as young as I can remember, I was trained in fighting. I was taught how to acquire the skills that would make me who I am. How to use anything as a weapon. How to change oneself to adapt to the situation. How to spot the weakness in any system." Dutch finished.

He gave Tenma a grim smile. "You and I are on total opposites of the spectrum. You are the light your people turn to. I am the darkness that your people would run away from."

"What are you?" Tenma breathed.

Dutch gave a dark chuckle. "I am a man trained in the arts of entropy. You bring order in the light, I bring chaos from the dark. I am the one with the keys to wreck the world."

Tenma was fearful to ask the next question, this being because it was addressed to Dutch. Funny how the right words from the right person could affect you. "How?"

"By hitting the right spots. Imagine what would transpire if the Tengu village was suddenly attacked from the inside by humans and youkai? What would you do?" Dutch asked.

"I would close the village to all non-tengu. Anyone wanting to enter would receive the full might of the wolves and crows... But that would not destroy Gensokyo." Tenma said, her answer automatic. Dutch's words recalled for her an older time when such a thing had once happened. Images of her people dying seared across her mind.

"No, but in doing so, you have closed off the biggest organized force in Gensokyo. Now imagine at the same time, the human village was attacked by youkai, the youkai market was attacked by humans and the shrine maiden of Gensokyo was assassinated. What happens then?" Dutch continued.

Tenma shivered at the grim picture that Dutch painted. "Both sides will blame the other for the conflict. And with the shrine maiden gone, there will be no one to stop either from attacking the other."

"And that's not the end. What if Eientei was attacked by humans and youkai? The underground stormed by surface youkai? The kappa village besieged by humans? The Moriya shrine attacked by unbelievers?" Dutch carried on his dark tale.

"What if it all happened at once?" He finished.

"Stop." Tenma said, all the words Dutch said leaving stabs of fear in her heart. The dark picture painted before her eyes was a culmination of her greatest fears and she shivered to even think about it.

"That is what I am trained to do. To get the right people, point them at the right targets and kill the right people. I am the dark herald that can create a world in flames, the shadow that chaos follows. I am your antithesis. This is what I am." Dutch finished.

Tenma stared at Dutch with new eyes. To think that inside him lay a person capable of such deeds was unbelievable. The scenario that Dutch created seemed like something out of the mind of a mad man, not him. She shivered uncontrollably as she looked at him.

This man is a serious threat to Gensokyo. He could destroy everything that had been set in place without even showing himself. That to Tenma was one of her greatest fears.

"Then what?" Tenma found herself asking. She already regretted it. Dutch's words were carving a path through her head, dredging up old memories of her people, murdered in cold blood for no other reason other than that they were youkai.

"There will be chaos. Each side will either engage in open combat with the other or dig in. Massacres of unaligned populations would take place openly and fear and death would be the order of the day. Inevitably, there would be one group that would rise to be the strongest power of the group. That group would engage in a campaign of conquest until all of Gensokyo would be subverted under its rule. That faction will be of course under my control. But I was trained primarily for the chaos part, not the ruling part. I can do it but I prefer to leave it to others." Dutch said.

"And the tengu village?"

"I did say that all of Gensokyo would be subverted. Very likely, the tengu village would be the last one on the list, the final obstacle before total rule. While the tengu village may represent the largest organized force in Gensokyo, the chances of it standing against the combined effort of the rest of Gensokyo is a bet that I wouldn't take. Your people wouldn't be destroyed though, given their experience in managing large populations, it's likely that they would be co-opted into service. The Hanataka, the Dai and the Crows would probably serve the same function as before, just under another leader. However, its likely that the majority of the wolves would be killed off, given their strong loyalty to you. They would represent the largest resistance to the victorious faction and would be eli..." Dutch described but was interrupted by Tenma.

"Stop! I don't want to hear it anymore." The Tengu lord said, her voice shaking. Dutch turned around to see that the silver haired youkai looked as shaken as her voice and was crying.

"Oh damn. I'm sorry. I got carried away." Dutch apologized, at a loss for words for what to do. It's not every day that you reduce a thousand year leader to tears through words.

Tenma gave him her own apologetic smile even as she cried. "It's not your fault. It's just that, what you said reminds me of a time when my people were under threat. A lot happened during that time and you managed to bring out those times in your words. It's not a good memory."

Her words and her expression guilted Dutch into stepping forward and silently giving the youkai a hug. Tenma accepted the warm body, crying softly into the fabric as she wept her tears for her dead people.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch banged his head against the wall.

It seemed that it was a given that anyone who spent time with him for an extended period would eventually come to tears. And who knew that this time it would be Tenma.

At least after Tenma had cried her fill, they had both retired to the orphanage under their own power where Rosa had thankfully given them a pair of rooms to stay in.

At least accommodation had been sorted out.

Walking off the entry platform, Dutch sat down on the swivel chair in the middle of the room and just sat there thinking. The orphanage gave him a lot to think about.

From the other door, Vale sauntered in, carrying a cup of tea. The vault entity looked slightly stressed as if she'd been doing some heavy thinking. But she kept a smile on her face as she flew to him and placed the cup on a saucer beside the interface in front of her father, getting a thankful nod from him.

Turning around, she returned to the door. Halfway to the entryway, a sudden question from Dutch made her stop.

"Vale, do you think I make a bad father?"

The question stopped the entity cold. Her silvery-blue hair whipped around as she turned her blue eyes to Dutch. The man was standing up, looking away from her, his back facing her. It looked to her as if he was fearing her next answer.

"No. How could you be?" She whispered, making sure her words were loud enough for her Dako to hear.

"When I look at the children in the orphanage, I see unbound joy and happiness. But in here... all I see is a cage. I want you to see things with your own eyes, but you are trapped in here, because of me." Dutch answered.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck lovingly. At the same time, crystalline-feathered wings reached around him and a comfortable light weight settled on his back.

"But that's not your fault Dako. Just because you are the vault owner it does not mean that you can simply change what ever you want." Vale spoke into his ear as her arms tightened around him. The same feeling of peace arose again but this time, Dutch was too distressed to feel it.

"Even after that, what else have I done? I don't know your likes nor your dislikes. I have not done anything fatherly for you. I even made you cry! How does that make me worthy of the father position that you have given me?" Dutch answered.

"I like you. No, I love you Dako." Vale answered, her voice hinting that she meant much more that just those words. The weight left Dutch's shoulders as the arms and wings also left. Vale came around, flying at eye level with the human.

"I love you." She said resolutely. Right before leaning forward ,eyes closing, and kissing him.

Even as Dutch opened his eyes in surprise, Vale entered his mouth. Her tongue pushed aside his teeth and tongue, gently exploring every crevice that he had.

Dutch realized that he was free to move. But as he moved to grab Vale, he realized that he had no resolve to push her away. He simply let his arm return to his side and let them hang there. He closed his eyes, letting himself drown in the moment.

The taste of each other filled both their minds.

Encouraged by the lack of action, Vale wrapped her arms around Dutch neck and drew him in closer. Her body pressed against his as his arms instinctively wrapped around her lower back.

In the mouth, both sides tongues fought a battle of supremacy. Vale's tongue searched for Dutch's, combing every nook and cranny for the appendage. But her opponent was elusive and she had an almost guilty reluctance to her actions.

Then in one smooth stroke, Dutch counterattacked, forcing his tongue into Vale mouth and pushing back hers. Now in a total reversal of position, Dutch took Vale's tongue hostage, controlling her every movement. Using a combination of accurate guiding and good maneuvering, he slathered every inch of Vale's mouth with a layer of his and hers saliva, the two tongues coiling around each other.

Vale uncontrollably moaned as her mouth was violated. The feeling was driving her wild.

When Dutch pulled a tactical retreat in preparation to break for air, Vale keep her tongue connected. The kiss finally ended in a crescendo of movement where their lips met, both tongues simply moving and coiling around the other.

Finally, both broke for air. Their lips separated, a line of saliva still connecting the two, both stared into each other eyes. Vale blushed madly, her eyes guilty.

"And that was for?" Dutch asked, inquiring in his gaze.

Vale silently detached herself from him. Dutch let her go. Slowly, she flew to the adjacent room.

When the door closed, Dutch collapsed into the swivel chair. He ran what just happened in his head and to be fair, it did not look good for himself.

When they kissed, Dutch could feel the desire inside Vale. It projected itself quite strongly. But he could also feel a certain reluctance in her. It was as if she tried to fight her desire but failed. Plus her guilty face at the end meant that she definitely knew what she was doing.

If so, that meant that Vale had some very powerful feelings for him that she was fighting. And he knew nothing of it.

Dutch slammed his fist down in the table. All this while and he knew nothing of her feelings. He should have paid close attention to her, should have noticed that she had developed something more than a father-daughter view of their relationship. This all could have been detected earlier if he had just spent more time with her.

And Vale assumed him that he was fit to be her father. Dutch snorted. Yeah right.

Dutch hoped, really hoped, that Vale could keep a control on her emotions. Because given what just happened, he had lost all faith in his own self-control.

* * *

><p>Vale sobbed.<p>

She let the pillow she was crying to absorb her tears as she tried to force down the up-welling of emotions that overwhelmed her. But as hard as she tried, it was a lost cause as all her of bottled up emotions just spilled over.

The vault entity pushed her head deeper into the pillow, wetting the fabric. She felt lonely, having no one to hold on to as she cried.

It was probably then when her feelings for him developed further. Of course she had not noticed it. She instead regarded it as an acknowledgement of love for her father figure. And Vale still did. She loved Dutch as a father figure.

But she also loved Dutch as a person. And that was the problem.

Right now, Vale could feel the self-reproach that Dutch had for himself. As vault entity, she had access to every thought, feeling and memory that Dutch had. The human was punishing himself for what had happened.

It hurt her that he blamed himself for her feelings. She longed to go out and tell him that it was not his fault. To comfort him. But she could not, not after what had happened.

Maybe if she disappeared, it would go back to normal. Dutch wouldn't have to contend with her and her strange emotions. He would be able to continue onwards without her.

Vale entertained the notion. It would be so easy for her. As vault dweller, there were so many places that she could hide. Just open a hole and enter, out of Dutch's life forever.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed right. Getting up, she walked to the door, silently opening it. Dutch still sat there, clearly engaged in internal self-punishment.

With her heart pained at seeing her father figure and her love hurting himself over her, she made up her mind.


	29. His memory, his folly

**HAHAHAHA! I LIVE!**

**Massive thanks goes to Ban3 for arriving ahead of schedule by a week. You are an awesome person! Here, have this pedestal to stand on, you deserved it.**

**Judging from the reactions of the last chapter, the doing of my purpose as an author goes very well. Thanks for the hard reading and let's push on together to the future! Or the next restroom. Which ever is closer.**

**If there was a law against serious character and OC abuse, I would be a offender to the highest **

**Oh yea, i released a poll that should be working. Simply vote who you want to...go read the poll itself. And forgive the very childish wording. Please?**

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch knew he had lost something very important.

It came as a feeling of great loss, that reaction one would get when someone important has left, a lump in the throat, a sinking feeling in the stomach and a tightness gnawing into both shoulders and arms. All of these sensations chose this moment to barrage him as a unified front.

Fearing the worst, he had checked the vault. Calling out her name, he looked for her. He found her gone. The rooms untouched, as if she had never existed. He knew what had happened.

He had driven her away.

Alone, he sat on the chair at the interface, poring over the memories of their short time together. Wondering when it had all gone so wrong.

"That was mean. What you said to them."

"Well, it's the job of the assistance entity to protect the soul of the vault. I did what I had to do."

"No! It should be special!"

He wept, heavy drops tracing the contours of his face before plopping onto the crystalline surface below.

He mourned her. The spark of life in her eyes, the feeling of peace she gave him. All gone. He mourned that she had left, he mourned that she had fell in love with him. He mourned as he remembered all the short and delightful moments that they spent together.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered.

He realized he could have reciprocated her feelings, but he had felt too uncomfortable to make the attempt. He mourned that too.

"I'm so sorry. I should have..." He choked out.

"There is still time." Vault intoned at his shoulder.

Dutch looked up at the orb, his words caught in his throat. He stared at the orb, hope flooding into his eyes.

"She hides but I can find her. It is within my power, but you will have to get her yourself, I cannot do that. You must find her as fast as possible. The vault is designed to prevent errant entities from running amok inside it. Right now, it is sending out hunter-killer units to find her. You must hurry, if you want to bring her back." It said.

"What happens if I don't?" Dutch asked, fearing the answer.

"Erasure. The vault will delete the errant entity and reset a new one. She will be a blank slate and seeing how the child we have now is the accumulation of many owners, it would be spectacularly disastrous." Vault answered.

"Find her." Dutch pleaded, a hint of desperation in his voice once he learned her fate to come.

"Done. Oh dear..." Vault answered a few second later.

"What is it? Is she fine?" Dutch asked Vault. His heart sank as he wait for the orb's answer.

"She is okay at the current moment. But it appears that she has decided to take refuge in the tapestry of memories." Vault informed him.

"Send me in." Dutch said, a fire in his eyes. He wiped away the remaining tears on his face as he drew himself up.

"...Are you sure youngling? From what I can gather, your memories are not exactly a normal story. You will be reliving your most influential moments. And there is the sea of souls you have to go through first." Vault cautioned, its voice seeming doubtful.

"If you are not careful, you could lose your sense of self. Are you willing to go that far just for her?" Its questions had now taken on a hint of worry.

Dutch turned to the orb. To the outside eye, he was a man with a purpose and he was not going to throw in the towel just yet.

"It's not about me." He answered levelly, his fist clenched at his side.

"Very well. Find her quickly." Vault commanded him before streams of energy reached for Dutch from the energy orb in the centre of the room and absorbed him.

The orb now hung alone in the interface.

"Such determination. Youngling, you know not what you have set in motion. I hope you do not lose yourself, although I am certain it will happen. Goodbye, you have been a good owner." Its words echoed in its wake.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Sea of souls

Dutch appeared in nothing. Or it initially seemed to be.

Then the colors appeared. It started as a rainbow of lights, each of them both sharp and blurred at the same time. When he tried to focus on one particular color, it would disappear, as if it was only the afterimage of a bright light shone right into his eyes. It seemed the more he focused on one particular color, the sharper the other colors seemed. When he changed his focus to a different color however, the color that disappeared would reappear once again, just beyond his area of focus and the target of his eyes would take its place, fading into disappearance.

They slowly moved closer and closer to him. Dutch simply hung there, knowing, somehow instinctively that he had to let the colors come to him.

Then the colors washed over him. And he could not think to regret it.

Instead he gasped. Suddenly his mind was overwhelmed by the voices of so many other different people, each of them speaking in their own language. Arabic, Mongolian, Latin, Old Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and many other languages, lost in in the sands of history but all recorded inside the vault, all inside his head, all speaking.

Dutch found himself in mid-verse, speaking in Arabic. He could not remember when he had started, only that he was speaking it. Then it changed to Latin, the speech itself fired with emotion as he roared and attested what ever he was saying. Then it changed to Ancient Egyptian, a dull intonation that dripped with power, and then it transformed into a growling rumble, the meaning conveyed more through emotions that sound.

His mind slowly losing itself among the multitude of voices speaking to him and through him, Dutch fought back hard to restore his Self. He marshaled together the components of his mind, pulling them together in a last ditch attempt to secure his identity.

He forced himself to speak to himself, struggling through the quagmire of voices in his head. Dutch pushed though the cacophony in his head, finding the words he knew in the languages that he was familar with and thinking them into existance. As he heard himself through the myriad of voices in his head, he grabbed onto the sound of his voice in his head and held it tight, a secure handhold to latch onto in the storm of voices in his head.

"I am Dutch Kotozaki, 19. I am a living weapon and the only living user of the nanobot biological augmentation system. I am the shadow that destroys society and the beholder to the keys to its destruction." Dutch said to himself, a wall against the voices crowding in his head.

"I am Dutch Kotozaki, 19. I am a living weapon and the only living user of the nanobot biological augmentation system. I am the shadow that destroys society and the beholder to the keys to its destruction." He repeated again, shoring up the already crumbling wall against the voices that threatened to overwhelm his sense of self.

"I am Dutch Kotozaki. I am..." Dutch continually repeated, the mantra allowing him to cope with the insanity in his head.

Finally after an eternity of voices, of words he could never understand, he emerged from the maelstrom. The voices were still in his head but his wall had stayed strong, had kept his Self secure in the barrage of languages. He could think properly now, could form coherent thoughts inside his oasis of sanity.

He was alone, with no one to help him and no direction to proceed. All he knew was that Vale was in trouble but even then, he did not know where she was. He did not even know where he was.

His only choice was to push on.

But what he just experienced was only the beginning. Because accompanying the voices were the emotions that drove them. And they were beyond anything he had ever faced.

His wall stood no chance. It was pushed aside as if it never existed. He was already losing himself.

"Someone, please..." He cried out with the last of his mind.

Overwhelmed, his final thought was a flash of blue and burgundy eyes before his Self was washed away by the souls of the vault.

Vault watched the body drift, it's mind shattered by the experience.

"Such promise." It said to itself sadly.

It disappeared, leaving to make the appropriate arrangements. With the owner gone, there was no sense leaving the vault connected to an empty physical shell.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Sea of souls

Tapestry of memories

Constructors' weave

Vale drifted.

She flew down what humans called memory lane, except it wasn't hers. It was Dutch's. A recording of all that had happened to him in his life, condensed into solid magical form, ready to be formed into a string of infinite strength and spun into a thread. It was still in creation for it was still recording.

She turned and looked out. Stretched over her was a canvas, full but empty at the same time with weaves. She focused on a random thread, inspecting it for any possible mistakes. There never was.

A weave of memories, infinitely long and short, capable of going on until the end of time but always stopping. For humans always died. Their lifes were so short, so infinitesimal in the passage of time.

Vale comforted herself with the knowledge that Dutch would eventually die. His weave would be completed, his soul recorded down and be placed on the sea of souls and the canvas would have one more weave to decorate it with. She would have another owner and hopefully it would be a jerk that she would treat like every past jerk that controlled the vault.

She broke down. She knew she could never stand such cold thoughts and it stabbed her heart that she could think in such a way. She cried and cried, pouring out her pain. It was a bottomless well and it kept rising.

Finally, when she could cry not more, when her tears were all gone, she picked herself up. She remembered her purpose in coming here. While at present Dutch was gone for her, at least she could watch the past.

She selected the most influential memories, discarding the ones that did not make much of an impact in the psyche on her father figure. The images she saw made her shiver but she held fast, determined to see what made Dutch the person she had fallen in love with.

With a nervous gulp, she delved right in.

* * *

><p>Facility track<p>

The first she saw was a young boy, maybe seven or eight, running along a dirt track. The boy was panting, the brown state of his shoes making clear just how much time the shoes had spent on the track.

The boy just kept running, his eyes staring forward, just pushing on. Vale could see the look in his eyes. He was aimless, unknowing of where he was going but continuing on. He looked back and when he once again faced forward, Vale saw a triumphant look in his eyes, as if he knew what he had conquered so far and was drawing strength from it.

The boy kept running, he kept on going but he was human. So he started lagging, slowing down. As he faltered though, a helicopter suddenly appeared overhead. The downdraft buffeted the young boy, the winds actually managing to push his small stature around.

"You don't stop until you puke boy! Keep moving!" The helicopter announced.

The boy picked up his speed again, running hard, his feet pounding the ground. The helicopter kept itself in front of him, creating a downdraft that pushed him back. But the boy carried on, working against the wind to move forward.

Then it happened. Strong winds thrown up by the downdraft dislodged some of the rocks along the path. He stepped in the rocks, loosened by the wind and gravity took over.

He fell forward, face first on the rocky ground. The helicopter stopped, watching to see what the boy would do. Vale held her breath. Already the treatment of the boy was making her fear for his life, and yet she knew that this had already happened. Somehow, the boy would get up.

And he did. Bleeding profusely from his knee, he pushed himself up. His legs trembling from the effort, he forced himself forward, slowly limping along. Then he walked and then he slowly picked up speed again until he was running again, the wound bleeding but ignored.

It took Vale's breath away. The determination, at such a young age, was beyond words.

But the boy could carry on no longer. He stopped, collapsed in all fours and vomited his stomach out. The helicopter hovered overhead, impassive.

"Disappointing." The voice spat in contempt.

A silver tipped dart pegged into the boy's hand. He collapsed in his own vomit, the fast acting drug easily overpowering his young body.

The memory faded.

* * *

><p>Vale pulled out of the weave. To know Dutch had this sort of childhood sickened her. All the more, it made her guilty to know that it was her that had hurt this person.<p>

Taking a deep breath, she went back in. The best she could do was at least watch his past.

* * *

><p>4 years later<p>

The boy was brooding alone among a group of other children the same age as him. They were all in a field, a medium sized rectangle capable of holding all of the children together with 3 meter circles of open field around each of them.

Vale looked curiously at the boy. He had changed from when she had last seen him. His fringe was longer and his body had shot up, leaving the small stature of his younger self behind, for the developing body of a teenager. Already Vale could see shadows of the man the boy was to become.

Suddenly an air-horn blared loudly. The group of children immediately broke up. They all ran to different random places, spreading out across the field, each choosing their own particular location. Vale followed the boy as he moved quickly to one of the far corners of the field, where he stood ready.

Then from nowhere, a voice spoke. "The objective of this exercise is to survive. Be standing after 5 minutes."

Vale's heart turned cold when she heard the announcement. Did they expect the children to die? Again her eyes shifted to the boy at the corner. He was watching the nearest children.

The air-horn bellowed again.

And the children attacked each other.

Vale whimpered as she saw boys and girls, close to her age in looks, launch themselves at each other with raw savagery. Fists and feet were the primary weapons of the day, but she could see sticks being swung and stones being thrown.

In the chaos of the battlefield, Vale could only watch. It was hard to follow one particular child. When one seemed to overpower the others, they would band together and overwhelm the that person. Then one of the winners would strike the strongest in the group and the temporary alliance would immediately fall apart.

In this war of children, how anyone could not lose himself was a wonder.

Her attention turned to the boy at the far corner. She wondered if she would find him bloodied on the ground, defeated.

Instead, she found him standing strong. Watching him overcome an opponent by throwing him on to the ground, she could not help but marvel at his strategy. By positioning himself at a corner, he had dramatically reduced the area he had to watch for targets. His back safe, the boy could now concentrate his efforts to the front.

Three minutes in and the fight was mutating. What was once an open brawl had changed form. Temporary alliances either broke down or held true, making the field a battleground with partially clear lines of who was siding with who.

Vale noted with pride that the boy was one of the few who still stood alone. But it was going to change because there was a fight that was coming to him.

Retreating from a group that out numbered them two to one was a blond boy and a brunette girl. They slowly moved back, retreating and fighting at the same time to keep the other group from overrunning them. The problem was that they was heading towards the corner... Dutch's corner.

The boy at the corner looking at the oncoming fight. Making his decision, the boy moved out of the corner, heading away from the fight moving in.

Vale cried out with shock. What was he doing, leaving the corner? He would be an easy target out there!

But the boy had other plans. Looping around, he moved until he was at the rear of the larger group. Then, while they were still concentrated on the smaller group, he struck.

He attacked the one to the rearmost of the group, his fist connecting with the back of the head of the child. His opponent collapsed, knocked out by the hit. Then whilst the others were still unaware of their comrade's defeat, he engaged.

Caught between the impromptu hammer and anvil style attack, the larger group broke. They all ran away, self-preservation outlasting the will to fight.

The boy faced the group of two.

"This spot yours?" The blond boy asked.

Nod.

"Mind if we share?" He continued.

Quick thinking. Nod again.

And then another group was upon them. The boy quickly positioned himself to the left of the blond boy, making himself a frontal shield. Together, the two boys held off the attack, the brunette girl moving in to attack opponents that were targeting the front guard.

Fighting this way, the trio weathered the assault until finally the air-horn blew again.

The fighting slowly died down. A gate at the side of the field opened and the children filed towards it.

The trio joined the thinned out group heading for the gate.

"Hey, you aren't half bad, what's your name? Mine's Aden." The blond boy said to the boy.

"Nora." The brunette said as she hopped over an unconscious body.

The boy stared back at them blankly as if trying to understand what they were saying before realization dawned on his face.

"Dutch."

The memory ended.

* * *

><p>1 year later<p>

The trio stood in front of the door. They all looked a year older.

"Anyone know why we got to see the big man?" Aden asked.

His two other less vocal companions shrugged.

"Can the two of you please open your mouths?" He sighed.

Dutch rolled his eyes and complied. "Maybe it's to tell us that you are an idiot and they were sorry that you were ever in this program."

Aden was about to launch into a counter-argument of his own when the door opened. The trio cautiously entered the room, slightly afraid of what would happen to them inside.

Inside, a hooded man sat at the table, his large imposing figure seemingly towering over the table.

"Sit." The man said. The trio complied, all three sitting down and giving the man their full attention.

"It has come to our attention that the three of you have been quite a team. While each of your results have not been of remarkable quality, as a group, you have one of the better results compared to the other impromptu groups that formed during the exercise last year. Not the best, but definitely not mediocre either." The man remarked as he slowly flipped through a dossier.

"Therefore we have seen fit to have the three of you pulled out of the mass training program and be placed in specific training. This has already been employed with several of the other groups and individuals, as I am sure you have already noticed by your decrease in program mates." The man continued idly.

"However... there is an extra... bonus to this. The training that you are set to undergo has allowed room for several , ah, modifications to be added. They have, so to speak, decided to make you better." The man finished.

"Sir, what do you mean?" Nora asked, acting as a voice for the group.

The trio felt a prick on their skin. The room wobbled.

"You will know first-hand." The man drawled before the memory faded.

* * *

><p>1 month later<p>

Dutch and Aden watched as Nora lay in bed, sickened. Her entire face flushed red and her breathing ragged. She was drenched in sweat and her body trembled.

"What happened to her?" Dutch asked as they watched their partner suffer.

"Complications from the enhancements. Her body is rejecting the special mix. Don't worry, sooner or later the body will develop an immunity to it. It's just a matter of time." The doctor said.

"Until then, all she can do is ride out the storm. Command has decided to halt your training for now, seeing as an integral part of your team is down. They believe that your results have earned you some rest time." With this he turned and left, leaving the two boys to watch their companion suffering.

Aden stared at her. "I got no idea what to do with the rest time. You?"

Dutch shook his head.

Just then, Nora curled up in pain. Her hands balled up into fists, devoid of someone to hold to. Her eyes ran with tears as she was wracked with pain.

Dutch had had enough. He left his position and walked up to Nora. Taking a seat, he sat by her bed and grabbed her hand. Locking fingers, he held her hand tight.

Nora gripped back, her other hand reaching out and holding onto his hand. She lay on the bed, both hands clasped around Dutch's, a grasp onto a reminder that her friends were there for her.

"Don't leave." She breathed out.

"We won't." Aden answered.

Nora smiled, even though they could see she was in great pain.

Memory completed

* * *

><p>6 months later<p>

Bam!

The paper target fluttered as a bullet hole appeared in it's center.

"Very good. Leave the station." The radio blared.

Dutch set the pistol down and left the shooting range. He joined his partners by the door, watching.

"Not bad." Aden said. The blond boy had changed since Vale saw him last. There was more muscle on his arms than would seem normal for his age and his eyes had an artificial tint to them. in fact, Vale realized Dutch too had undergone the same change. Nora on the other hand seemed to be the only one with nominal if exponential body growth. Already at her age, she had the look of an unforgettable, supple beauty.

"If I had a carbine or an assault rifle, I would probably do better." Dutch answered.

Aden scoffed. "Oh please, why compromise when you can have the weapons on both ends of the spectrum?"

Nora sighed. "Must it always be whose weapon is the better one?" The brunette asked her two companions.

The two beasts both turned to the beauty and answered. "Yes!"

Nora sighed again and gave the two boys a smack each on the back of the head. "Why don't the two of you prove it during our next battle instead?"

Both of the boys sheepishly rubbed the back of their head, making clear just who controlled the reins in the group. "Yes mother."

The trio left the shooting range and headed to an elevator, where inside Nora selected the floors.

"First however, we are dropping by the lab." She said.

"I hate needles." Dutch grumbled, making clear his his position on entering the lab.

Nora smiled. She too echoed Dutch's sentiment about the lab but for different reasons.

The door opened and the trio strode straight to the man standing in the middle of the room, ignoring the multitude of equipment that lay around the room.

"Your bodies are performing at an excellent rate. The overtime additives have been accepted by your blood and I must say, the three of you are my most beautifully functioning specimens." Said the doctor as he looked at the read outs on a screen.

He looked up through the transparent screen and focused on Nora. "Although it must be noted, your beauty is completely natural. How I would love to analyze it and make it better."

Nora ignored the words. With her two partners standing behind her, she was safe enough from the clutches of the doctor and his fantasies.

"Here's the next batch. Again it will take effect overtime and enhance the development of your body. Although I believe you don't require that at all my dear." The doctor said as he handed out three large syringes.

Without a word, the trio injected themselves, Dutch doing his with a wince. Handing the medical equipment back to the doctor, they turned and re-entered the elevator again.

"I say one day we shove a camera up the doctor's ass and let him analyze himself." Aden muttered. Dutch echoed his sentiment with a grunt.

Nora's mouth pulled into a small smile. "Thanks guys." She said as she made physical her words by giving both of their hands a heartfelt squeeze.

The next time the door opened, the trio were greeted by a heavy-set man who silently guided them to an armored door. Inside, a massive array of weapons greeted the team. Every single firearm ever created and then some, lined the walls. The armored door closed behind them as they entered the room.

Aden headed straight for the sniper rifles as Dutch made his way to his rifles. Nora on the other hand stayed behind, checking a PDA that the silent man had passed to her.

"Large battlefield, approximately 2 mile radius. Varied terrain but with a large number of open spaces for us to play around. Expect wheeled vehicles but nothing that a well placed bullet can't stop." She said to her companions.

"What's the scenario?" Dutch asked as he chose his weapon. An M4 with a shortened barrel, coupled with a reflex sight on top and a suppressor to seal the deal. A check on the ammunition gave him the information that they were given rubber bullets. Along the way, he picked up a pair of compact binoculars just in case.

"You would like this one. Two big teams, both making up one half of those from the mass training programs are duking it out for control of a hill. Meanwhile, every squad from the specialized programs will be running amok inside the zone. Each having their own objective and some having the same. And it so happens so do we. The rule of engagement is at your own discretion." Nora said as she changed for the fight. While Dutch and Aden had no qualms about going into battle with any kind of clothing, she was much more particular.

Both Dutch and Aden choked on air as she stripped down and changed into clothing that was more suitable for the occasion. Her developing body was getting some very good curves and with her face, she was a man's dream in metamorphosis.

She smiled to herself as her partners tried hard to avert away their eyes. The walls of the armory were well placed to reflect light around and she knew that her male companions would control themselves the best they could. But they were males after all and she spied peeking eyes. Still, it was fun to use her female body to make them stumble over themselves.

Having learnt what needed to be known, she chose her weapons with a bit more finesse. A Steyr Aug Para submachine gun for its better than normal accuracy. Three Mk23 pistols, two of which she handed over to her companions. They were allowed to bring any kind of weaponry but Nora insisted on at least standardization of their secondary weapons. The two males at the time tried to put up a pretense of a fight, but they could hardly think while she used her capabilities and gave in.

A girl gets what a girl wants. Especially when she asks for it and especially while half naked.

Her load out decided, Nora joined her companions at another armored door at the other end of the room. Dutch simply came with his rifle and pistol. Aden on the other hand had a timber-wolf C14 sniper rifle slung over his back and a hawk type 97 pump shotgun in his hands. Or as he loved to call it, both ends of the spectrum.

"Ready?"

Both of her companions nodded.

The door opened.

Memory end

Vale halted the transition to the next memory.

Having just seen a tiny bit of Dutch's memory, she could at least understand a bit of her father now. The determination that he had and the lack of complaint was both from his experiences during his childhood.

She was actually envious of his female partner Nora. Nora had him well under her finger and that made her envy her. She also envied Nora's tendency to drive issues her way with some distraction.

Oh, that and Nora's figure instantly made her very jealous. For a girl the equivalent of her age, she was outclassed in terms of looks and appeal.

Somehow, Vale knew this was only the appetizer. There was more to come and it would only get more intense.

Without a second thought, she delved back in.

* * *

><p>Mass combat scenario<p>

6 hours in

The last shots died down as accurate fire rained down upon their location. The chatter of assault rifles was over powered by the biting cracks of a sniper rifle, the ripping of a submachine gun and the less noticeable barks of a suppressed carbine.

Dutch slowly appeared out of the bush by the side of the road. Moving to the road, he made sure to keep himself as low as possible. He looked back, where somewhere in the hill and forest behind him, Aden and Nora watched over him with the help of optics.

Still, it felt lonely out in the open and Dutch sought to get it over with as fast as possible.

Sprinting to the halted jeep, it engine still rumbling, he rooted through the groaning bodies of the ambushed patrol. While the rubber bullets ensured that they did not die from the experience, the pain was more that enough that they could not get back up again. It would not last long however and so Dutch quickly did what he had to do.

Before long, he managed to pull a thumb drive. Hiding it in his pocket, he took off on a dead run off the road.

"Excellent! Get back up the hill over the crest." Nora informed him.

Dutch followed the instruction, careful to watch the road to see if any of the ambushed troops were getting back up. Once he was over the top, he almost stepped on Nora. Or to be more specific, the hideaway that Nora had built for herself that he did not see, but rather fell into instead.

As it was, he fell over onto her.

"Ow~" Nora moaned, sounding more like her age than the cool and organized leader of their small triad. Dutch grinned sheepishly and got up, helping her get to her feet along the way.

"Why did you do that?" Nora whined, pouting.

Over the radio, laughter crackled. "Damn, you actually sound your age. Why can't you act more like this when we are not on mission?"

Nora gave the radio a gentle pat. "That's because I have a reputation to keep at base, remember? And Dutch, you still haven't explained why you did that?"

Dutch grinned. "Maybe I was blinded by your beauty?"

Nora smiled. "I know. I saw you peeking at the armory." That immediately shut him up.

The radio crackled again. "Caught in the act!"

"I saw you too." Nora said to the radio.

The radio sputtered. Victorious, Nora motioned for Dutch to follow her. Traveling away from the road, they headed for the edge of a forest rising higher behind the hill.

"You know, even though they don't tell us much about the outside world, I still think I'm lucky that I got you two. Both of you have always made sure that I was protected." She interjected suddenly, her weapon slung over her front and her hands clasped behind her back.

"Well, you are one of us." Dutch answered, his rifle held casually by his side. If anything happened, Aden would spot and tell them.

Nora favoured him with a small smile and shook her head. "No that's not it. Both of you can easily force me out. But instead you always make sure that I don't take the brunt of everything. I feel blessed."

"Have we? I can't remember any such thing." Dutch answered truthfully.

Nora's smile turned wider. "The battle last year? Or the time when both of you waited by my side while I was sick from the enhancements? Or how about just now, when both of you volunteered to go get the package instead of me even though I had the shorter ranged weapon?"

"Hey, you are the thinking one in our group. And your weapon is not suppressed. The moment you fire, everyone is going to see you." Dutch answered.

Nora gave him a light punch on the arm. "And what does that make you guys, mindless robots? Aim and shoot." She mimicked, her voice taking on a poor impression of a robot.

"Well you know what they say about brains and brawn." Aden quipped over the radio.

Nora giggled. "I guess that makes me the queen?"

"And us the worker bees." Dutch completed.

"This queen is blessed." She said before giving Dutch a kiss on the cheek. The brown haired boy blushed.

"Not fair! I want one." The radio complained.

Nora stuck out her tongue at the tree line. "Later." She said as she spun around happily from Dutch.

_Crack!_

Nora collapsed onto the ground. Dutch watched her fall slowly as time seemed to slow down.

And then it returned to normal as he snapped out of the trance. Running to his female partner, he gripped his own radio.

"Aden! What the hell are you doing?" He yelled.

"It wasn't me! There must be someone else here!" Aden answered frantically.

_Crack!_

The round bounced off the ground close to Dutch. He instinctively ducked and kept moving.

"Gotcha! Hiding just slightly behind the crest of the hill! You're going down, you sneaky asshole!" the radio triumphantly spoke.

_Crack!_

The rubber bullet just missed Dutch's head. He reached Nora, draping himself over her to protect her from anymore shots.

"Take the shot!" He yelled into the radio.

_Crack!_

A cry of pain answered the shot.

"Yes! Yes! You are not walking away from that one for a while, you...uh oh."

"What now?" Dutch answered as he flipped Nora on to her back. The brunette was alive thanks to the rubber bullet but she was gasping for air. Dutch knew that the impact of the bullet and the pain made it temporary difficult for Nora to catch her breath.

"We got a response force coming our way. One jeep and a troop truck just crossed the road." Aden answered as he saw everything going on through the scope of his sniper rifle.

Nora started to tremble and her breathing was becoming ragged. Dutch realized that this meant that Nora's memory of her sickened time was being triggered by the massive amount of pain she was receiving. It had happened once before during a training exercise. He grabbed her hand and gripped it hard.

"I'm right here Nora. I'm right here." He whispered comfortingly to her. Nora returned his grip thankfully.

"You need to get out fast! Engaging targets!" Aden ordered.

_Crack!_

"Lea...me..." Nora forced out through ragged breaths even as her eyes clouded over with the memory.

Dutch ignored her words. "I'll going to get you out of here okay. Just don't let go." He said before lifting her up in a bridal style carry and running for the tree line.

_Crack!_

"Officer down." Aden spoke.

Dutch kept running. The events unfolding around him all discarded. All he knew was that he had to get Nora out of the open ground into the relative safety of the tree line.

The chatter of assault rifles and the zing of bullets around him sought to stop him but he ignored them. All that mattered was the trembling girl in his arms holding his hand lost in distant memory.

_Crack!_

He ran and ran until the darkness of the trees enveloped him. And he kept going. Aden would cover him and pin down the enemy for as long as possible and retreat back after. That, Dutch could trust him to do. He had more important things to worry about.

He kept running until he came upon a pile of moss in the ground. But this pile was special. Setting Nora down, Dutch ripped the camouflage off the small bag of supplies and searched around for the right item.

Finding it, he returned to Nora where she trembled, her eyes far away. She made no reaction to his touch. He pulled off the cap off the syringe and checked her neck for the artery. Finding it, he carefully inserted the needle into the neck and with out a second thought, mashed down on the syringe. Immediately, he pulled out the needle, not wanting to accidentally kill her using the needle.

Nora rose. Her back arched as she sucked in a big gasp of air. Then she immediately dropped back onto the forest floor.

"Nora?" Dutch asked as he hesitantly bent forward.

Nora launched herself forward and pushed herself over Dutch. The boy's eyes widened as he fell back onto the forest floor, Nora on top. The brunette kissed Dutch full on the mouth, her tongue entering him.

Dutch just lay there stunned as she licked every inch of his mouth with her tongue. Then she retracted her head, eyes twinkling.

"Wow." Dutch simply answered.

"It was you wasn't it? You held my hand that time. I remembered." Nora said, getting off her friend.

"Partially. Aden traded with me when I got tired. We made sure there was a hand by your side always." Dutch answered as he got up.

Nora pursed her lips. "Damn. Now I have to even the score."

Then she grinned as she leaned forward again. "By the way, when a girl kisses you, never fight her and kiss back."

"Very well, milady." Dutch retorted, bowing like a butler. Both laughed, for a second lost in the mutual humor.

But reality has a bad habit of reminding you of its presence again.

The radio crackled. "Epsilon team, we are twenty minutes away from the pick-up. You better be there."

"Damn." Nora said as she pouted. She looked around for her submachine gun. Noticing it gone, she turned to him and gave him a accusing look.

Dutch gave her a shrug as he rose back up. "It must have fallen off along the way, I guess."

Nora walked to him. "Well then, I guess you will just have to provide for me." She said to his face before taking his pistol.

"Don't you have your own secondary weapon? It's right there." Dutch pointed out.

"Let the lady decide." Aden said as he appeared from the trees, holding his sniper rifle and his shotgun slung along his back.

"Your gun is currently being played around with by our esteemed chasers by the way. The same chasers who have given up because I gave all their leaders a timeout." He continued.

Nora looked at Aden and back at Dutch. Reaching a conclusion, she passed Dutch's pistol back to him before walking up to Aden.

"What is it you ne-Mmmph!" Aden sounded out as Nora kissed him while she pushed him against a tree. Caught holding his sniper rifle, he could only stand in shock as Nora did to him the same thing she did to Dutch.

When she pulled back, she grinned at Aden's stunned face. "That was for holding my hand." She said before walking away, her newly liberated Type 97 shotgun cradled in her hands, the jingle of loose stolen shotgun shells issuing from her pocket.

Aden turned his head to Dutch, a stunned look emblazoned across it. "What the hell happened while I was gone?"

Dutch shrugged, grinning. "Reward, I guess."

"For what?" Aden asked. Dutch's cryptic answer did nothing to answer his question.

"Boys?" Nora called.

Aden gave up on the subject and trudged after Nora, grumbling about their female member in their group and violations of personal privacy. Dutch simply chuckled as he picked up the small supply bag and followed after them.

Vale pouted.

Okay , she was jealous as hell.

The interactions between him and Nora made her burn with jealousy and envy. Oh how she wished she had that level of intimacy with Dutch.

Although now she knew why Dutch kissed back. The memory made it very clear who taught him to react that way.

Which again made her feel guilty again. Already the tears were rising.

Stifling a sob, she flung herself back into the memory.

* * *

><p>Blackhawk<p>

Over battle zone

End of mass battle scenario for epsilon team

The helicopter flew over the battle zone, the sound of heavy fighting filling the air.

Dutch peeked over the edge as the helicopter flew over a line of jeeps, it's occupants either firing into an outcrop of rocks or lying on the ground moaning.

He congratulated himself that he would never experience the pain of a rubber bullet, at least not today.

The zing of a bullet made him pull his head back in. How ironic that after all that, he would be hit by a stray bullet on the extract helicopter.

Aden simply scanned the entire expanse of the battle zone with his optics, watching groups clash against each other.

"You did well. Normally we would send you back out with another mission but things have changed." Their extraction officer said to them over the sound of the helicopter.

"What do you mean sir?" Nora returned.

"Events are accelerating. While the others continue on schedule with their training, your team will have to come into play earlier than expected. Your skill sets will be crucial when we need to use them." The officer drawled over the roar of the chopper.

"Use what for what sir?" Nora asked.

The officer shook his head, indicating that the information was not for them.

"All we can tell you is that you are becoming what has been hoped of you." He said.

The memory started to flash, images changing like some sort of bad picture program on fast forward.

"You will become the sword."

The images started to change faster as black crowded over the edge of the memory.

"Or to be more specific, the tip of the sword."

The last image was a massive black room, monitors flashing everywhere.

* * *

><p>Memory end<p>

Vale frowned.

Such images were not normal. It could only happen if the memory was somehow tampered with.

She checked the memory weave. It showed signs of tampering for quite a considerable expanse in the short weave. Too much to be a simple matter.

She pursed her lips. It was troublesome for her when there was tampering on the memory. She would have to physically go in and fix the issue. If it was a blanket tampering, that meant that she would have to watch through every second of it. And if it spanned years, she would have to live through all those years.

Still, she had no choice, it was her duty as vault entity. Not to mention, it was Dutch's memory.

With a sigh, she entered, selecting the ones that showed tampering.

* * *

><p>Biotic Lab<p>

The next day

"You bastard!" Dutch yelled as he struggled against his restraints.

The doctor gave him a quizzical look. "Such crude language. Why, I am only taking a direct hand in Nora's next step on her enhancements. Why are you so agitated?"

Dutch gave him a snarl. "I know what you plan to do along the way, you nutcase! Touch her and there will be hell to play!" He growled.

The doctor laughed. "One man's nutcase is another man's genius. Don't be making threats now, I would hate to terminate you on account of uncontrollable violence."

He typed on to his computer. "Oh and the leaders at the top have something special planned for you. You are selected to be a carrier for their latest project. Which is why you are here and your partners are else where receiving their own enhancements. A pity you aren't quiet."

He tapped a button and a syringe pierced Dutch's skin, depositing its contents. Dutch lost all of his fire as his body complied with the chemicals.

"But I do have to agree, you do show such promise. The results of this experiment will be interesting to watch, I believe." The doctor finished. He rolled the stretcher to a connected room, leaving him inside with nothing but the hum of an air conditioner to accompany him.

"Ah, yes, before we begin, this is a completely untested creation. You are literally the first to have it. So what happens to you after this, I have no idea." The doctor said before injected him with a grey liquid.

"Now, let's go practice medicine." He left the room.

'I hope you slip and fall, you white coated nutcase.' Dutch thought.

And then he twitched.

Dutch looked at himself, a flash of horror on his face as his body suddenly started to jerk around in it's restraints.

Vale winced. The movements looked painful.

It was. Dutch screamed in agony as grey started to cloud his pupils.

Memory end

A guardian awoke.

* * *

><p>Vale covered her mouth in horror.<p>

The memory had stopped on the picture of his eyes clouding over with grey.

"Damn. That looks bad." A sympathetic voice said.

Vale spun around to see Nora standing behind her, wearing combat fatigues, staring at the image.

"W-wha..." Vale stuttered. How was she here? It was not possible.

Nora grinned, her 18 year old image grinning like a girl that had just learnt a secret. "Surprised? Don't worry. I'm feeling just the same as you. Who are you and what the hell are you doing in Dutch's head?"

"Ah, well, I...I..." Vale continued to stutter, unable to believe how a person could be inside the vault.

Nora sighed before giving Vale a flick to her head.

"Ow!"

The brunette gave a smile. "Let's start with me then, since a cat apparently got your tongue. I am Nora. Or at least a fragment of her inside Dutch's head. My job was to monitor him to make sure that he did not break his programming and unleash the memories in his head. If I am here, that means something is horribly wrong and seeing how you are the only other person here, I am obligated to ask you."

Vale worked her mouth. "Ah...well..."

Nora gave her a appraising look. "Although one thing I can be sure about you, Dutch believes that you matter to him. Otherwise he would have shut you out from his head. So, who are you?"

Those words broke the dam. Hoping that this person could help her, Vale told her everything.

* * *

><p>Shikieiki Yamaxanadu read the report.<p>

It appeared that the human had finally claimed a life. One not in self-defense.

She would add that to his ledger. Opening it, a blank page greeted her. Picking up a pen, she wrote down the sin.

She had seen his Outside ledger, the one she could do nothing about. The past one dripped with blood. A pity that she had no say about the matter. The Outside World was out of her jurisdiction.

She sent back an answer to the reporter, detailing the orders that Komachi would have to perform. The human does not know what his fate most likely has given him. She doubted any of them ever did.

The vault had a dark history. Whoever had it always slid down a dark slope of death, either by using it or defending it. It was a device of ambiguous power, capable of anything. And with humans as the user, it was nothing more than a matter of time before they started killing with it.

Shikieiki wondered why she was so eager to monitor this one. Perhaps she was curious about how far he would go before he was killed for it. She wondered if any of the owners had an idea of the power of the vault. What it had inside. Grinning grimly, she wondered if anyone would ever meet Her.

Probably not this one. She finished recording the kill. She would wait, she would record. And one day, she would show him what he had done.

* * *

><p><strong>HAHAHA! I just realized that this feels like ass-ass-in creed. The memory thingy. I totally didn't expect that. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU MIND?<strong>


	30. The old and the new

Sigh. well, here i am again. I sure that you guys did miss me did you? I would feel bad to have people waiting for me. Right?

AnyWho, here's chapter 30. The next one is the end and i am so excited! The poll was most confusing, sooo i flipped a coin and chosen the winner! So, yea, if you are good, you should have already guessed the winner. Ok, i lied. Guess which part i lied?

Big thanks goes again to **Ban 3** for the awesome work he does.

Before i leave you to rush through my work(because that how i suspect all my readers do their reading; Im a snail...), I would like to give a shout-out to a very innovative but highly under-rated story by **The Story Sphere. **His work is quite new and i must say, it really feel that he needs some more readers. Its name? **The Scientific Revolution**

/s/8304204/1/ Copy paste the little set of number next to your thingy. You know, how this works.

Well, then, i shall not hold you no longer. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Sea of souls<p>

Tapestry of memories

Constructors weave

"So let me get this straight. You are a being living in a another dimension connected to a crystal which is connected to Dutch's hand. He found the crystal and along the way created you. Because of what happened afterwards, you fell in love with him, or so you say, and now you are hiding out of guilt." Nora summarized, her finger creating different coloured dots to help her note down what she said. How could she create dots? Well they were not exactly in reality were they?

"Ah...that's right." Vale answered, looking forlorn.

"That's kinda stupid don't you think?" Nora announced idly as she toyed with the dots.

Teary-eyed, Vale looked up at the fragment. "You think so?"

Nora nodded. "Well, what you are doing right now would be classified as running away. That always results in failure to whatever you are doing. So yeah, kinda stupid."

Vale sniffled. "I...I thought it would be the right thing to do for h-him."

Nora gave the young entity a pat on the head. "Well now you know it's not the right thing to do, the best thing you can do to make up for it is to go back and confront it. You are his daughter, you can do it."

Vale just teared at her sentence. "B...but w-we aren't even r-related."

"That does not matter," The fragment twirled a stray lock of hair in thought. "In fact, that makes this easier for you. You have chosen the Kotozaki name therefore you have standards to live up to. First things first, do you see Dutch as a father? Or as a lover?" Nora asked, her question boring straight to the matter.

Vale shook her head as her tears fell in a shower, pattering on the vague floor. "I don't know! I really don't... I'm the worst."

The sight and words made Nora heave a deep sigh. She walked up to the crying entity and gave her a hug. "Perhaps you need to see his past to understand him better. You aren't the worst in his life."

Vale kept silent.

Nora opened a tear in the space around them and performed a sweeping gesture with a svelte hand. "It's time to really see the worst in his life."

With that statement, the tear closed around them.

* * *

><p>Biotic lab<p>

12 hours after initiation

Dutch panted as he lay on the stretcher. Beside him, the same doctor from before pressed a button on the lift control panel. The door closed with a whirring hiss.

"Impressive, very impressive. You have absorbed the nanobots beautifully, and with no reaction from your biological defense system. The higher-ups were right after all." The doctor mused as he looked at a data screen connected to the stretcher.

"What am I?" Dutch croaked.

The doctor grinned snidely. "The first in a hopefully fruitful project. I could go into specifics and bore you, but we really don't have much time. To make matters short and simple, you, my wonderful subject, are the world's first biological computer."

"Bullshit." Dutch wheezed. He struggled against his restraints, finally deciding to give the doctor the bird.

His counterpart laughed. "I assure you, I am not lying. The fact that you are not foaming at the mouth proves it. If you had rejected the nanobots, not only would most of the bones in your body be broken from the binding of nerves and nanobots, but your brain would be nothing more than a pile of meat as well."

"Assuming that what you say is true, where are we going then?" Dutch continued.

The doctor allowed his snide grin to again. "We are going to test the computer ability to receive information. You are going to receive a gift."

The doors opened, revealing a massive room. The room had monitors everywhere, in fact, surrounding the entirety of the room. An army of people worked the equipment in the room, tapping away at keyboards and adjusting antennae.

A harried technician approached the doctor. "It's ready but we are not sure how long the matrix can hold itself. It's best if we do it now."

The doctor nodded. "Very well, prepare the transmission."

A pair of burly guards wheeled out the stretcher, it's occupant too tired to even move. Guiding the wheeled bed to the center of the room, they grunted at the exertion before leaving hurriedly.

The doctor sidled over to Dutch, smiling at the pair of defiant eyes staring back to him. He placed his hand over Dutch eyes, forcing his eye lids shut. "My good sir, you do not need to see the next part. But know this, we are about to grant you keys of unimaginable power. Your sacrifices will not be in vain."

Silence clouded the air. An atmosphere of anticipation hung heavy around the room.

"Do it."

Memory end

* * *

><p>Nora hissed in anger as she looked at the last images of the memory. "So that's how they gave him that. Bastards."<p>

Vale looked at the angry fragment. "Why?"

Nora sighed before reaching out with her hand. A series of numbers appeared around her hand, constantly changing and spiraling around.

"These numbers were imprinted into Dutch's memory. I don't know what they are but I do know that that are related to what Dutch himself calls the keys to the destruction of society. You may have heard him say that a couple of times." Nora said as she waved away the number, which dissipated as though fog caught in the morning sun.

Vale nodded, remembering that Dutch had actually said those very words a couple of hours ago. Something in her words made her ask. "You don't know what's in his memories?"

Nora nodded. "Regretfully, no. I am but a guardian, not privy to what I am watching over. Well, it seems that this was how they gave him the keys. Transmission directly into his brain. The side effects were... regrettable." Her mouth twisted as if saying those words brought back a particularly painful memory.

She opened another tear. "Come, let me show you. This one is my own memory. It should offer a better perspective."

* * *

><p>Nora's memory<p>

7 days later

Nora slapped a man in the face, the sound reverberated around the narrow passage.

"We don't care what he looks like, we just want to see him now!" She shouted at the guard.

The guard turned his head back impassively and glared at the girl. "Miss, all I am told is that I am not to allow anyone in. He looks bad and the doctor believes it will do you no good to see his state." He stuck out his hand to push the girl away, defiant.

Another hand reached out from behind the girl and grabbed the guard's hand. It proceeded to squeeze the hand, the guard let out a cry of pain as his hand was crushed to the point where the crunch of bone on bone filled the air between himself and the femme before him.

"Painful, ain't it? Good to know that our 'gifts' work against you people. Now let the lady get what she wants, she can be quite forceful, even without me." Aden let his grim warning hang between them as he twisted the guard's hand, smiling darkly. The guard collapsed as his shoulders followed the direction of his hand.

"Those gifts are the results of years of research. The one you are currently using to apply pressure to the guard is the product of a serum that allows you to have a denser muscle structure. In layman's terms, you are stronger without looking stronger. Now please, release the man. Working hands are worth more to us." The doctor from before appeared behind them. Vale realized he was right, Aden's former almost bulky frame had been replaced with a smooth, almost lanky build.

Aden held on for a few more seconds before releasing the guard. The man gasped as he pulled his hand back, groaning from the pain.

The doctor simply stepped around him as he headed to the door the guard was standing in front of. As he unlocked the electronic lock of the door, he turned to the two teenagers staring at him. "If you so wish to see your compatriot, follow me. I warn you though, you will be shocked."

The duo ignored the warning. Without a word, they entered the open door, eager and afraid at the same time over what they would find.

Inside, lying comatose in a cramped, threadbare bed, Dutch slept.

"Dutch!" Nora exclaimed as she bolted to his side. The sleeping boy made no reaction to the noise around him. Fearfully, Nora touched his hand. Again, she received no reaction from him.

"What happened?" She whispered as Aden watched over them like a hawk, his eyes trained on the one that was to blame for Dutch's condition. His hand balled up in a fist as he awaited the answer.

"His mind had trouble coping with the magnitude of serums that we administered to him. As of this current moment, he is in a state of brain-death. He does not respond to any kind of stimulation. He is nothing more than a breathing machine, all traces of intelligence have been destroyed." The doctor's mocking smirk once again crept across his features.

"In fact, you being here make my job easier. The higher ups consider your friend's current condition a liability to the program. They have asked fo me to rectify this issue as soon as possible. Since he's your fellow, I am asking if you have any objections." The doctor continued as he picked up a syringe on the table next to him.

"No. Never. He is in there." Nora growled, murder emblazoned upon her face. The doctor sighed.

"He is nothing more than a shell. Why should we prolong his torture?"

Aden chuckled. "A shell? You don't know him that well do you? Dutch here once faked sleeping extremely well so that he could listen in on conversations between other people. I'm sure right now, he is simply waiting for us to shake him."

The doctor shook his head. "It does not matter. If he is not functioning, he is a liability to the program. He will be rectified, with or without your assent."

A small dart gun appeared from under his sleeve. A subtle "Whit! Whit!" cut through the air, both of the active teenagers collapsed bonelessly onto the floor, the poison working its effects on their bodies and knocking out their nervous systems.

"Really now, youth these days." The doctor quipped as he made his way to the bed and its occupant. As he passed Nora's immobile body, he could not resist and lightly brushed his hand against her chest.

A pair of sneering eyes met defiant ones.

"Oh yes, quite delightful indeed. A pity I will make you forget it all." He said, unaware of the person now standing behind him.

A hand, built just as streamlined as Aden, grabbed the back of his head.

"I did say there would be hell to pay." Dutch said as he rammed the doctor into the wall. The white coated man gasped as he struck the concrete, the syringe dropping, but remaining whole.

"You were really faking all along?" The doctor swore.

Dutch smiled. "I just woke up. So tell me, nutcase, left hand or right?"

The doctor said nothing. Instead, he grabbed the syringe next to him, and threw it at Dutch as hard as he could.

Dutch saw the projectile approach him in slow motion, as if some sort of movie. He saw himself grab the syringe and not trusting himself to redirect the object in his hand quickly, spun around while flipping it and sent it back where it came from.

The needle embedded itself in the doctor's neck. Crying out in animalistic fear, he desperately tried to claw off the syringe as the lethal chemicals pumped into his neck. It was to no avail as he suddenly seized up and stopped moving.

A pair of guards rushed in. Dutch grinned as he put his hands up.

"Just a medical accident." He remarked snidely.

* * *

><p>Memory end<p>

Vale blinked.

"I thought you said the side effects were regrettable?" She said, puzzled. Dutch seemed fine to her.

Nora sighed. "Perhaps you were given the wrong impression. This was after all the end of the wait. He was in this state for a week. A whole week of asking and not knowing what had happened to your friend. Imagine that."

Vale nodded slowly. She could understand where Nora's sentiment was coming from. She had not experienced what Nora had described but she could at least wrap her head around the idea and know the implications.

"It's good that you understand. Because all this made the man that we...no sorry, you love." Nora said as she stumbled over her words.

Vale turned to her, agape with surprise as Nora pulled out another tear to engulf them.

* * *

><p>2 years later<p>

Stalingrad

River Voga

"It is a pleasure to do business with you." Nora said as she threw the last of the pieces of paper into the fire, the flames consuming them within seconds.

The informant nodded before leaving. A heave from Aden sent a weight over the edge as the floating platform around them started to sink, the pile of ashes still quietly smoldering, smoke curling up and giving the lights of the city behind them a hazy look.

The trio walked off the platform onto dry land as the platform started to sink faster. A hiss of escaping air made clear how fast the water was entering the platform.

The three watched the platform sink into the water before turning around and heading back to the car they had parked nearby.

"I can't believe they actually believed us." Dutch said as he entered the side seat.

Nora pulled off the wig she wore and shook out her brunette hair. "A young pretty heiress in Russia with two young bodyguards that looked like they are infuriated with her asking for certain documents to be burned for a price? Actually believable in these parts."

"Not to mention that you grew older faster thanks to our 'gifts'. Seriously, for a 15 year old, you look 18 to 19 man." Aden said as he started the car. The engine rumbled as he worked the vehicle, driving out of the dock and into the city streets.

Nora grinned. "I look legal. And I look this way for the next 5 years. So you two boys have a lot of time to work with me in this look."

Both of her male companions kept silent. Nora laughed at the reactions to her statement.

"Awww, don't be so gentleman. If I really want you to do me, I would have jumped you in base. Both of you are way more delectable and lovely at home." She continued.

Now both males tried their best to look outside the window and ignore the female teenager sprouting statements that they certainly did not need to hear at this time.

"Dutch, black car, two car lengths. See that?" Aden said as he glanced at the rearview mirror.

"Got it." Dutch said as his eyes focused in on the vehicle.

"That has been following us since we moved out of the dock."

Dutch tried to catch a glimpse of the occupants. "Blacked out windows. Whoever is inside doesn't want any one seeing in."

Aden nodded as he drove the vehicle through the city. A police officer waved them through once he saw the sticker on their windshield, ignoring the underage drivers in it. "Do you think they brought Nora's story and want her supposed money? Or they are actually on to us and know we are covering tracks for Command?"

Dutch reached under his car seat and pulled out a CX4 carbine. "Either way, they are following us. Watch for any surprises. Just because we bribed the police doesn't mean we got a free pass here." The young soldier allowed the clack of the magazine slotting into the rifle pistol grip to reinforce his warning. He looked under the seat for the other components he stashed in there.

Nora pouted. "Oi, I'm not an invisible princess here. Stop thinking for yourselves."

Dutch chuckled as he attached a C79 optical sight on his carbine. The car bounced as a wheel caught in a pothole. "And what do you wish, princess?"

Nora returned the cheeky remark with a light slap to the back of the head. "Lose them. We stop to fight and they will be over us like an army of ants. That's how they work."

That was when the engine exploded.

...

_Initiating operator revival_

...

Dutch woke up in the wreck of the car.

Looking around him, he figured that he was out for only a couple of seconds. The distant sound of Russian being spoken, reminded him of where he was.

And it was getting closer.

Dutch turned around to check his companions. Both of them seem to be fine, the only injuries they had being gashes on their skin, nothing worse. Exhaust fumes and smoke gave the air in the twisted metal cage an acrid quality.

He turned to look in front. The engine block was a wreck, a pile of mangled metal that belonged in a scrapyard. The car and inertia had seemingly colluded in wrapping the doomed vehicle around a pole. Russian text blocked the entire front of the windscreen.

It was at this point that a gun appeared in his face through the broken window.

Dutch turned to see a man, holding an AK47, gesturing for him to get out. "Out out." He said in heavily accented English.

Dutch complied. With a sigh, he tried to open the door but the handle broke off in his hand. Looking at the detached handle, Dutch face-palmed. Now how was he going to get out?

With a shrug, he pointed at the useless door blocking his way. The man blinked.

"Out." He said again, not caring that the door was stuck.

Dutch nodded. He signaled the man to step back. Taking his rifle out of Dutch's face, the man stepped back, awaiting his captive's unceremonious exit from the vehicle.

Dutch reached down and grabbed his carbine. Looking up, he noted that the man was waiting for him casually, his rifle slung over his back. Apparently he assumed that Dutch had nothing to attack him with in his trapped position.

'Amateur.' Dutch snorted before bringing up his carbine.

The Russian man eyes widened as he realized his mistake too late.

Bark!

The pistol sized bullet was small compared to the man's rifle sized rounds in his AK. But the bullet was still powerful enough to penetrate his skull and destroy his brain.

The man dropped like a bag of bricks. The shot did not go unnoticed by his compatriots and a flurry of shots rattled out as they sprayed the car with bullets. Luckily, Nora had specifically chosen this car for it's armored sides and none got through.

Dutch reached under his seat and grabbed the helmet stashed there. As he put it on,he glanced to his partners. Both were still fine. Smiling thankfully, he grabbed the edge of the broken window of the side seat door and heaved himself through.

That brought another fusillade as the attackers fired their rifles at him again. While rounds pinged around him, Dutch got himself off the ground and ran to cover at the front of the car.

He peeked over the stop sign. His attackers were arrayed in front of him by their own vehicle, firing away at their target vehicle. A lucky bullet managed to strike the top of his helmet and Dutch fell back.

Groaning more from the pain of falling back than the actual hit, Dutch pressed himself against the engine.

He had a carbine firing pistol sized bullets with a scope. His attackers had numbers and the firepower to back them up. AK bullets were man stoppers and he definitely wouldn't want to get hit by them.

Dutch grinned. He really pitied those attackers.

Nora moaned as she woke up.

She blinked, looking around groggily. What had happened?

Oh yeah, the engine exploded.

Opening her side door and stumbling out, she leaned against the car, her brunette hair clinging to her bloody face. She took out a pocket mirror from her jacket and checked her appearance.

She was a mess. Scrunching her face in disgust, she tried to clean what little she could.

"Your face looks fine. You been in and out of a while." Aden teased as he peered under the car.

"Where's Dutch?" She asked.

"Gathering information."

Nora registered the sound of shots being fired and screaming. Reaching back into the car, she grabbed the Makarov pistol inside and made her way to the sound of the shots.

When she got there, she saw a sight that she never expected. Dutch stood over a man, holding his carbine and smiling like it was a normal occurrence. The man leaned against a car, blood flowing from numerous wounds. Nora noted with a hint of pride that all the dead bodies had a single headshot to the head.

Now that was accuracy.

"Come on, it's not so difficult. Just say the name." Dutch said cheerfully as if they were having some sort of friendly chat.

The man cursed in Russian.

Dutch sighed. He jerked his carbine down and fired two shots into the man's leg. The man cried out in pain as he grasped his latest wound.

"Again?" Dutch asked.

The man spoke, crying from the pain that Dutch put him through. Dutch smiled and put a bullet in his head.

Nora watched the whole scene with disgust. Torture, while easy to conduct, was repulsive to her. Hiding her feelings, she spoke instead. "So what did he say?"

Dutch looked up and smiled wider when he saw who it was. "A lot of things. I must say, I'm pretty impressed by his endurance. He actually lasted through one magazine."

"So it was fun?" Nora continued, letting a little of her feeling on the matter leak out in her words.

Dutch sighed. "It's the best I can come up with under such short notice. You know that I won't use it unless I have to. It's unreliable."

"So what did the Russian say?" Aden asked as he approached them.

"Good, at least both of you are up. To make things easier to understand, I'll be frank. Command has screwed us over. They sent these criminal amateurs to take you out and retrieve me." Dutch announced as he leaned against the car.

Aden nodded. "That would explain the stuff I found under the engine. The charge that wrecked the engine was of the precise kind. Any more and we wouldn't be here anymore. Hardly within the level of street level criminals."

Nora narrowed her eyes. "And why would they do that? We have been giving them results for a at least one and a half years already. Why suddenly destroy a successfully performing team all of a sudden?"

Dutch shrugged. "Someone cleaning house? What ever this is, something is definitely going on back at base. Question is, what are we going to do about it?"

"We go back in. Without command, most of our resources are worthless. We need to get back there." Nora announced, her eyes daring anyone to object.

Dutch got off the vehicle. "And how would we do that?"

* * *

><p>Lear jet 45<p>

Over [redacted]

Project Youkai training facility

"I can't believe we actually looted a Lear jet. Are you sure we aren't gonna have a really pissed transnational super businessman after us?" Dutch said as he reassembled his carbine.

Nora chuckled as she flicked up several switches. She was piloting the jet since she was the only one with training in aviation. "The business man you are talking about has a collection of over 16 jets. This is one of them held for storage. I highly doubt he will notice it for a long time."

"Right. So we are fine on that end. Now someone explain to me why we have a ton of explosively explosive Semtex as deadweight on the plane? Or why are are over 30000 thousand feet instead of flying low and avoiding defensive radar?" Dutch continued as he skirted around the block of said explosive. An ominous beeping made clear how dangerous the block was.

Aden laughed as he put on his parachute. "It was sitting in storage and I needed to dispose of it before it went boom. She said bring it along. And for the second, I have no idea."

"If it goes boom, I'm finding you from the grave." Came Dutch's deadpan reply.

"We will know in 3...2...1." Nora said as she looked at the clock on the pilot seat.

_Boom!_

The plane shook as shrapnel tore into the body. Instantly, most of the lights on the cockpit turned red and a myriad of alarms warbled. Dutch looked at where a shard of shrapnel had pierced through the body and out the outer side. Wind howled as air started to exit through the riddled skin.

"Well well, we are alive. Now to get there. Let's do this!." Nora yelled before depressing the control stick and increasing the speed. The plane started to dip and the engines whined as power was pushed to the max.

"Nora! What the hell is your crazy ass plan!" Dutch shouted as he steadied himself against the block of Semtex.

Nora simply laughed manically. "Yahahahahaha! Grab your chute!"

Left without a proper answer, Dutch complied with the order. He grabbed the parachute next to him and put it on, not an easy feat when you factor in the conditions he was in. Lastly, he grabbed his helmet and put it on.

_Bang!_

The plane shook again as another explosion seared the air outside.

"What the hell are they shooting us with?" Aden yelled.

"Proximity based missiles!" Nora shouted back as she shut down most of the systems on the jet.

A shrieking of metal made all three look behind them. A part of the metal skin had caught in the powerful wind force rushing by and ripped itself out. Now the howl of wind overpowered all other sounds as the jet continued along its journey, constantly picking up speed as it descended.

A slap to the hand made Dutch turn back. Nora signaled furiously with her hand, telling him to get to the breach and get ready.

'Ready for what?' Dutch thought as he complied. There really wasn't really any time to argue right now.

Along the way, he grabbed Aden and brought the both of them to the hole in the airplane. It was a fight to hold on as the powerful winds buffeted the two of them.

Holding on with all his might, Dutch peeked out. He could see land and water below him. In the distance, a familiar hill surrounded by forests rushed by.

'We are almost there. Just a bit longer!' He thought as the plane got closer and closer to the ground.

Then a grab knocked him out of balance. He turned in surprise as Nora, wearing her own parachute, flung out her two male companions and proceeded to follow them.

Falling through the air, the trio watched as the lear jet got closer and closer to the base, smoke rising from the facility.

Just as the jet was about to dash itself against the ground, Aden pressed a detonator.

_Kaboom!_

The ton of explosives exploded with a massive roar. Even from where they fell, the shockwave pushed them back. The air burst ripped through the outer defenses of the base, destroying the outer wall and opening a clear path to the interior of the base.

"That's our way in." Nora said over the helmet radio before pulling her chute. Her partners followed the same and three white semicircles blossomed in the blue sky.

And not a moment too soon. Because they had jumped at a really low altitude.

_Wham!_

"Oh for crying out loud!"

* * *

><p>Nora laughed at the cry.<p>

"Oh, man if you saw his expression after that, you wouldn't be able to keep a smile off your face for a day. It was so hilarious!" She kept laughing.

Vale shared in the humor before remembering something Nora had said.

"You love him?"

Nora immediately stopped laughing. Her face dropped all her humor and adopted a motherly look. "I love them both. Both Dutch and Aden, I loved and still love them. But I knew that I could not hold him back for my own reasons. That would be a selfish love. So I made myself, to watch over him and as a way to know that at least a part of me would be with him, even if he did not know it."

"Ah, I see." Vale answered, looking forlorn again. Even just from her words, she could see Nora's true feelings and it made her feel second-rate. Against such selfless love, what was hers to compare?

"This time, however, it's your turn. My time has passed, yours is just beginning." Nora said, smiling kindly.

Vale looked up in surprise as Nora stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"Things have changed. He now has someone whom he bonds with far more than anyone else he has ever met. Now that you seen part of his past, you can understand him better. I can help you, if you want. How about it?" The brunette memory fragment spoke, tears starting to flow down.

Vale found tears tracing the smooth curves of her own cheeks as she returned the hug, old and new love both crying together.

* * *

><p>The hunter killer searched for it's prey.<p>

Protocol had to be followed. If the entity was malfunctioning, it had to be erased. No exceptions

Silently, it proceeded to its next target, looking, hunting


	31. Him and Her

**_Author standardizes language used; appropriate japanese names to be used._**

**In a stunning announcement, the author has revealed plans for the standardization of the language used for names. Name of appropriate beings, barring those that are already translated, will be done in japanese, so as to keep the names to a similar standard.**

**The standardization will be done by stages, with all new chapters featuring the standardized languages. Past chapters will under go changes, with final changes being completed by the end of the year.**

**When approached for comment, the author has this to say.**

**"Too many times when i look at the tengu names, i cringe when i realized that some have english while other have their japanese names. With this new change, there will equality for the tengu names."**

**When asked further if all others names of appropriate youkai would receive their japanese names should they be found, the author declined comment. When asked if the author remembered that this change started under his rule, he ended the interview.**

**_Coming up next..._**

**OCs...useless add-ons or helpful improvements?**

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Sea of souls

The sea of souls.

If the magical systems of the vault could be properly explained in layman's terms, the entirety of the vault would be a pocket dimension with its own unique universe and the sea of souls would be the space in between objects within this universe. Seemingly empty but filled with the smallest of matters invisible to the naked eye, it acts as both conduit and barrier for the many components that make up the vault.

Filled with the experiences and emotions of the past souls, to even enter the sea is suicide. One stands an almost confirmed chance of losing his sense of identity, his own thoughts and emotions overwhelmed by the raw equivalent of past others.

And yet Dutch dove in and he paid the price for it.

Floating in the sea, he simply drifted, without thought or emotion... Or to be more specific, without his own thoughts or emotions. He was, at the moment, nothing more than an empty shell, perpetually filled and emptied by the different souls and their experiences passing through him, like the ocean surge washing back and forth, back and forth.. An endless cycle.

In a single second, he could experience the life of so many different people. And yet, he could never harness it. To do so he would need his identity restored and the many different experiences moving through him could never allow that.

In a way, it was a fate worse than death. To feel what others felt, to experience what others went through and because of that, never be able to return to the Self. Only watching, never understanding, never thinking until the moment you died.

But as with the cosmos, the sea of souls is a conduit, acting simply as a fluid from which one could go wherever he directed. In this situation, momentum is a very good director.

He approached a massive construction of weaves, each colourful in its own right and each equally foreboding. As luck would have it, this was the very place his salvation waited, even if she did not know it yet.

Then, like a shooting star passing its slower counterpart, another being, also filled with a lack of identity, passed by the moving body. Headed in the same direction, it had a purpose. To search for the anomaly and destroy it.

Right now, outside the tapestry, even if she did not know it, Vale's only hope approached closer and closer.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Sea of souls

Tapestry of Memories

Constructor weave

"Thank you." Vale said as she prepared to leave Dutch's memories.

Nora grinned, warmth suffusing her features.

"It's okay. Always a pleasure to help someone, especially since it is related to someone close to me. Just remember, he needs some prodding. Don't wait for him. He's a clueless person."

Vale giggled before adding conspiratorially. "He's our clueless person."

"Yes he is. Come back when you're free, will you? Now that I'm awake, it's gonna get terribly lonesome for me. Even I need some company once in a while." Nora returned.

Vale nodded before opening a hole in the weave to leave. Just as she stepped out, a white comet blazed down from the top of the tapestry. It exploded as it impacted against the weave and in the smoke, Vale could see a figure rising from a low stoop.

She froze in fear. How could she have forgotten? The vault would have classified her as a rogue entity and have dispatched hunter units to find her. She was living on borrowed time and it was all spent looking into Dutch's memories.

Liquid despair flowed down her face as she realized how cruel it was. Just when she had mustered up the power to return to him, her end had arrived. Involuntarily, she released a choking sob which seemed to decimate her entire form.

"Why? Why must it be this way?" She cried out at the unfairness of it all.

"Because there is always another answer." Nora said as she wrapped her hands protectively around the young entity. Since Vale hadn't completely left Dutch's memories, she saw all of Vale actions and deduced that the comet was probably something bad.

A split second later another projectile smashed its way through into the weave. Unlike the previous comet, this one was a forest green hue and lacked any sort of light, sound or control as it struck the weave.

Even from that distance, Vale guessed what it or to be more accurate, he was. If he was here, that meant that he...

Vale brought her hands to her mouth, her legs losing the fight to stand as she realized what had just happened. Dutch had come here. He had traveled through the sea of souls. There was only one result for a journey through the seal of souls for non-vault dwellers... It was not pretty.

"No!" She cried as she felt all of her hopes and dreams shatter. Everything that she lived for was gone.

"What's going on?" Nora asked, unprepared for the sudden upwelling of emotions.

"It's him. He came here. He threw everything away for me. All his thoughts, all of Him." Vale sobbed.

"Wha..." Nora started again but was interrupted.

"He's gone." The silvery-blue haired girl intoned, an air of hopelessness pervading her voice. Her whole body became limp as her eyes turned empty and the light in her wings dimmed. Seeing the look in Vale's eyes, Nora got fired up.

"Dammit! Don't just give up now! He's right there! Come on!" She yelled to Vale, bringing herself to Vale's level, hands gripping tight enough on her shoulders to produce a bone-snapping crackle.

A pair of empty sky-blue eyes stared vapidly as if into oblivion itself. "But..."

"But nothing! Come on, if some up-start thing comes to stop you, you brute force your way through it! I can help you, but I need you too!" The now fiery brunette yelled.

The words managed to pierce through the cloud of hopelessness cloying the vault entity. Eyes lit with the desire to hope, she looked back at the memory fragment of one of the most influential people in Dutch's life.

"I can bring him back. I'm part of his memory after all." Nora spoke, her tone soft, smiling and filled with the knowledge of power.

That statement really caught Vale's attention. As the young girl gave her companion a look of true hope, Nora smiled grimly.

"Now, shall we?"

Vale nodded and got to her feet, her purpose renewed. She looked out at the tapestry. She could see the figure of the hunter in the distance but more clearly, she saw the spot where Dutch had landed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When she reopened them, they were burning with fire. Her crystalline wings gleamed with a blinding light as she moved with a new purpose.

"Okay. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Tapestry of memories<p>

In a battle between hunter and hunted, the first thing that most people forget is that it is actually the hunted who decides the way the game is played. The only thing the hunter can actually do is anticipate and react. Once the hunted can grasp this simple fact, then the balance of power has shifted. Of course, having that power and actually using it is a different matter altogether. All the power in the world is worthless if you don't use it correctly.

Armed with that knowledge, Vale slowly inched closer and closer to the body of her father, careful to stay hidden among the weaves. The sterling figure in the distance simply stood like a sentinel, scanning for her. Eventually, she knew it would find her.

Before that happened, she needed to bring back Dutch. Both she and Nora agreed that he was their only chance to beat the hunter. Nora, being a memory fragment, had little to no power outside Dutch's head and the best Vale could do for her was to give her the power to at least move outside of the memories. Any encounter with the hunter killer would shred her apart.

Vale also needed to get her to Dutch's body. Apparently since Nora was part of his memory, she had the ability to 'rebuild' him, so to speak. She explained it as her actual purpose, but gracefully avoided the question when asked why something like that could happen.

What ever the reason, they had the way to restore Dutch, but they had to get to him first... And that, was the hard part.

Vale glanced behind her where Nora followed. The brunette gave her a reassuring grin even as she pressed herself against the weave to hide herself.

'Dako...she is just like you. I... I envy you. Why did you leave her?' Vale wondered, knowing her thoughts would never be heard.

"He never would have returned it." Nora said.

Vale turned her head back in surprise. How did she know?

Nora softly chuckled. "I can see it in your eyes. He never would have returned it, at least in the form I have. Yes, if I asked, he would stay but that's him. He's faithful, too faithful I might say. If you told him to stay awake for the whole week and gave a good reason for it, you will be damn sure that he would be up for the whole week."

The memory fragment grinned as she remembered a past event. "I think that's one of the reasons my feelings for him started anyway. But back to what I said. He's not able to reciprocate my feelings because of our experiences together. Dutch prefers to form his perception of people through experiences. He sees me more of a sister than anything else. I could change that, but that could change the things that made me like him in the first place."

"I see." Vale answered. If Dutch formed his perception through experiences, wouldn't that mean that she had no chance with him?

"I did say that earlier. However, you are representing something new to him. A person who loves him beyond everything else. Maybe he will be able to accept your love. Maybe he already did. Whatever happens, you can be rest assured that he will never push you away. Of all the things Dutch does, saying no to a person who matters to him is almost impossible. Perhaps he already forgave you for running away. He's like that really."

The entity nodded. At least Dutch would forgive her for what she did. That did however, make her feel slightly more guilty. At that moment, the sound of something landing above her froze her on the spot. Both of them stopped as the hunter stood up high on the weave they were hiding against. It growled as it scanned the area about it for its target, unaware that she was right under it.

Vale took the chance. She looked up and scanned the hunter killer.

She had never seen a hunter before. Certain parts of the vault were shut off to her and being the first entity, she knew that hunters had never been used before... Until now at least.

The armor of the hunter was non-existent. It simply had what would be a perfect humanoid body shape with a pair of large wings protruding from its back. Its face was featureless, a completely blank slate which simply moved around. Even though it had no visible eyes, Vale knew that it was constantly on the look out.

With a great blast of wind, the hunter took off again. its prey shivered as she watched it soar over her like a predatory bird searching for its prey. She had seen Dutch in dangerous situations but this was the first time she was close to danger herself.

It made her understand just a little bit about the man she knew. To hold down fear is not a simple thing to do.

They waited until they heard the hunter land on another weave before continuing, driven faster by the close encounter to reach their only hope.

* * *

><p>It is said that the most dangerous part of any plan is not the build-up or the climax but the endgame. After all, during the first two phases, it is fairly easy to expect what happens. But it's when you have completed everything and are winding down that the most unexpected flaws can appear, chew up your plan and spit it out to be stepped on.<p>

The plan was simple enough. Get to Dutch and get him up. The execution on the other hand was hard. With the hunter watching, it would be a herculean task to get him up and running without having the hunter taking him out.

Vale and Nora both looked out at their objective. Dutch had landed on open ground, a clearing in the canvas. The hunter had passed by him, as seen from the black marks on the ground, but he was unharmed, thankfully.

"Alright, there's no other alternative. We have to make a run for it. Or at least, I have to. You must stay here and keep quiet." Nora instructed to her companion.

"But what if it comes back?" Vale returned with worry. The memory fragment answered with a smile as she ruffled Vale's silken hair.

"I'll see you soon."

With that Nora leaped up from where she hid in the weave and took off, making a mad dash for the body in the clearing. Vale watched, wishing with all her heart that Nora would make the journey unharmed.

Nora ran.

Behind her, a roar raged over her. She heard the sound of great wings whooshing, the feeling of being chased spreading throughout her body. As she sped, she grinned. This was what she lived for. To save her loved ones from danger.

Behind her, the hunter dived like a hawk, its sterling sword whistling as it reached for her. Nora ducked the blade and in a single movement, locked it around her arm. With a heave of effort, she sent the hunter crashing into the ground, using her body as a pivot to redirect it downwards. She got up, using the motion as a boost as the hunter landed in a tangle of limbs.

With a roar, the hunter reached out with its other hand, grabbing for the insolent memory fragment. Nora simply laughed with glee as she took the chance, stomping hard on the appendage. As her actions drew another roar, she jumped over the hunter and continued on her dash.

She pushed herself as hard as she could, pounding out every ounce of speed her legs could give her. She heard the sound of the hunter rising and ignored it.

'It seems that even after all that, you still can't keep yourself out of trouble Dutch. Well, that why I'm here after all.' Nora thought as she reached closer to him.

She pulled all of the memories into her palm, into preparation for what she was about to do. Already, she was starting to fade away, her body turning translucent.

"But that's you after all. Trouble has always liked you for some reason. And you never back down do you? Always striking and always keeping secrets. Oh you do love hiding things that you think are important, don't you? How many things have you hidden from her I wonder? One day, Dutch, one day." She whispered all of this as she reached him. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, his face calm as his chest rose and fell. His body was untouched from the whole journey. To an outside viewer, he seemed to be just resting.

She pressed her palm against his forehead but paused the procedure. Leaning over him, she whispered into his ear. "You deserve a good sleep but someone needs you now. She trusts you with all of her heart. She is your redemption. Whatever you do, don't screw this up. You hear me? Do. Not. Waste. This. Chance."

And then she forced all of his memories back into his dormant mind. As she disappeared, she spoke her last words.

"Good luck."

She faded away as though mist before the early morning sun.

* * *

><p>Vale watched as Nora faded into nothing over Dutch. She watched with bated breath, waiting for the moment when he would rise again. Her whole body trembled as eternities sailed by her.<p>

'Please...' She pleaded, the sight of the still body pulling her down with each second.

The hunter growled as it crunched its way to the body, its blade slicing a channel through the ground as it made its way to the last location of the memory fragment.

'No!' She mentally cried out. Why now when it was almost over!

She froze as she realized how bad the situation was. The hunter was very close to her and she needed to get away from it but Dutch was there too. He was in danger from the vault creation.

"No...please..." Vale breathed.

The hunter stopped over the unmoving body. Growling even without any visible sign , it flexed its resplendent sword arm in preparation for the strike. Energy gathered along its edges as the power to erase sparked into existence over the human.

"Stop!" Vale yelled as she burst out of cover. Too late did she realise what she had done as the hunter turned around with a triumphant snarl. With a flourish, it redirected its sword at the vault entity.

'It guessed that I was here. It was a trick!' its target realized as she backed away from the powerful being sent to kill her. The hunter advanced forward with slow and measured steps, aiming the sword at her until she could see the tip of the blade pointed so straight and reaching so close that two her eyes it had acquired a blurred twin.

Whimpering with fear, Vale desperately took off in an attempt to get away from the hunter. She flew up in a shower of crystalline feathers, the sudden violent action causing some of them to break off and float down. Her hunter chuckled in a spurious manner, as if amused by its prey's futile attempt to escape it. Unfurling its own wings, it too took off, chasing after it target.

Below them, a glove shone with a radiant white light.

* * *

><p>?<p>

"What the hell happened?" The voice questioned the darkness around it.

"The result of recklessness, youngling. Your foolish recklessness for the child. A recklessness that is costing her right now." Another voice answered in contempt.

"Vault! What the hell do you mean!" Dutch roared.

"Right now, the child flees for her life from a hunter. She is all alone and unjustly so for you are bound to protect her. Look, youngling, for you reap what you sow." Vault answered scornfully, a massive screen appearing in front of the two speakers, showing the scene as Vale flew and the hunter chased. The picture froze in Vale's face. The raw fear in it transferred itself to Dutch's heart.

"But I tried. I tried..." He whispered as he went on his knees.

"Try harder. You have progressed further than any other owner the Vault has ever had. For that, you have set in motion something that is beyond your wildest imagination. The Vault is awakening because of you but it needs a final piece. You must step up and be that final piece." Vault said.

"What needs to be done?" The owner asked.

"Save the child. She is the vault made physical and she controls its changes. More importantly, the two of you are interlinked in a way that I never expected would happen. Her heart belongs to you, Vault Owner. She's yours, mind, body and soul. Everything she has done is for you. Don't make it for naught." Vault warned.

"I...I...can't. I just can't." Dutch pleaded, silently begging for another way out.

"You can and you must! Do not let simple words blind you! All that she has done, all that she has said, are driven by her feelings for you. She proclaimed you as her father because she sees you as such but she desires for more than that. The question is, are you willing to reciprocate her feelings?" Vault questioned, the words poised to strike to the heart.

It aggravated the young man. "I don't know! I need more time! But this is not important, not at least now! I need to save her first!"

A short silence descended as Vault deliberated. "Fine. You shall have your time. Go save her."

A tear opened in the darkness. As Dutch moved towards it, Vault spoke its last.

"I have linked your glove to the Control Room. When you are ready to head back, it shall be your vessel. Return with the child and learn about her youngling. Treat her not as your descendant but as a fully fledged person who desires for you. Grant her heart's desire."

Then the light flashed caustically.

When Dutch opened his eyes, he was looking at the most intriguing background he has ever seen in his life. A blank white canvas covered in a constantly changing multicolored weave, each a symphony of colors. It was a beautiful sight, easily one that would fetch millions should it be an attraction.

It was ignored as though a doodle beside a priceless masterpiece.

Getting up, Dutch looked in the distance where two figures dueled in the air. Checking to see his glove was in place, he took off in a dead run

'Let me be in time.' He pleaded as he balled his fists.

* * *

><p>The hunter dodged the spray of bright crystals, using the flat edge of its arm blade to stop one of the projectile. The white bright crystal burst apart as it struck the metal-like surface, its shards disappearing as it fell. The hunter laughed scornfully, its prey's attempts to fight back lifting it to new heights of pleasure.<p>

Vale whimpered as her attack was stopped yet again, by the seemingly insurmountable hunter killer. In her fear, she had discovered that she could fight back. Her cries for help, both internal and external, were answered in the form of her new-found ability to create white crystals and fire them as lethally as she could. Now armed with a way to counter attack, she tried to hold off the hunter. But it was like trying to hold off an ocean. Her attacks constantly missed and the ones that did hit seemed to have no effect whatsoever. She was quickly losing hope of surviving.

'No! He's coming!' She told herself, shoring up her resolve. With a resurgent fire in her eyes, she created another array of bright crystals and launched them.

The hunter growled in frustration as it dodged the attack. This entity was persistent and did not want to simply die. its sword arm crackled with energy as it flexed the lethal appendage.

When the last bright crystal shot past it, the hunter suddenly shot forward in a sudden burst, its wings leaving a trail of energy as it accelerated.

Vale cried out in fright at the suddenly approaching hunter. Attempting to run away before it got her, she thrashed her wings, hoping to gain enough speed to avoid the oncoming hunter.

She was partially successful.

Her frantic movements allowed her to dodge the hunter's swipe of its sword arms but the other hand of the hunter shot out and grabbed her leg. Energy crackled as the hunter started to pump its erasive powers into Vale's leg.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Vale screamed out in pain as she felt her very essence being destroyed. Already her leg was starting to fade away. In a last ditch attempt to save herself, she fired off a flurry of bright crystals blindly at the hunter.

A lucky shot managed to explode against the arm of the hunter connected to the offending hand. Shrieking in pain, the hunter ceased pumping energy into Vale but it didn't release her. Instead, it whipped her around like a rag doll before flinging her towards the ground.

_Crash!_

Vale cried out pitifully as she smashed into the ground, the impact making her wings shatter with a splintery snap.

"Dako...please..." Vale implored, begging for the appearance of the one person in her life that mattered to her. As she picked herself up weakly from the ground, a sudden feeling inside her made her violently cough out, sending her back onto all fours.

_Splat!_

Blood splattered across the devastated ground as Vale forced out the blood in her lungs. Her body shot from the whole ordeal, she collapsed back into the ground, staring at the blood. She trembled as she lay on the ground, helpless and weak.

She heard the sound of the landing of the hunter. As it brought deceptively gentle caressing winds that flowed around her, the hunter landed on the ground with its peerless feet. Growling in satisfaction, it sauntered towards her, the sight of the legs approaching giving her a sense of finality, a rush of release as she waited for the blow, already letting go of all her thoughts.

'It's over. Everything is over.' She thought to herself as the hunter stepped in her blood, its image casting a shadow over her. Somehow, even with out looking, Vale knew that the hunter was about to plunge its sword into her,

"Dako...I'm so sorry. I...I made a bad mistake. I wish we could have made it right." She whispered as she closed her eyes, awaiting the sensation of the sword driving down.

_Thud!_

Instead, she was rewarded with the sound of two bodies ramming into each other and a scuffle breaking out on the ground. Opening her eyes, she gasped as she saw Dutch on top of the hunter on the ground in front of her, ramming his wrist blades into the torso of the hunter.

The hunter shrieked after being introduced to pain for the second time in a minute. Beating its wings violently, it managed to blow off the human on top of it. Free of the burden, it moved quickly to escape the human, but Dutch was quick on the recovery. A second right after he landed, he snapped his arm out and grabbed the nearest part of his enemy. It just so happened to be its wing.

"Why do you need this anyway? You seem to be fine on the ground." He quipped with a heart-chilling smile. Yanking the wing, he pulled the hunter back onto the ground. Hopping onto its broad back, he grabbed the wing with both hands and with a grunt of effort, wrenched it out.

_Crack!_

The sound of bones breaking made Vale wince, even in her injured state. The hunter howled as its bones were pulled out. The joint connecting the wing to the back jutted out unnaturally as Dutch went to work on the next one.

_Crunch!_

Vale shut her eyes as the hunter shrieked mournfully. The sound of more breaking filled her ears along with the accompanying cries of agony. Then came the sound of a tumble. She opened her eyes to see Dutch getting up, his opponent growling painfully as it charged its attacker.

Dutch simply sidestepped it as he whipped out his pistol and fired. The bright bolt struck the knee joint of the hunter, making it collapse upon the ground. Walking up to it, he stomped on the sword arm and twisted it, to the sound of pain from the hunter.

"Why, that looks like something too dangerous to be waving around." He scoffed with his heart chilling voice. Phasing in his diamond knife, he gripped it in a downward direction and without a moment hesitation, stabbed it down.

Vale closed her eyes again as the sound of sawing and screams overwhelmed her ears. She kept her lids closed for what seemed an eternity as Dutch attacked the hunter.

Finally, with a keening death rattle, she was greeted with silence. She opened her eyes to see Dutch, both his hands clasped on his knife jutting out of the hunter neck, he breathed deeply and slowly, as if trying to force out the cold-hearted fighter inside himself.

Then his head snapped up as if remembering something important. Getting off the corpse, he rushed to her, phasing away all his weapons.

Vale looked up at the figure of the man above her. Standing over her with a concerned face, clothed in his forest fatigues, hands by his sides, the glove glowing brightly, he cast an image that made her, even in her weakened state, smile with happiness. This was the person that she loved, the person who created her and transformed her dull existence into one of indescribable joy.

He bent down to her and lifted her gently, careful to support her weakened body. "Sorry for being so late."

Vale smiled weakly. Bringing up her hands, she caressed his face with a dainty hand, leaving a trail of blood along his cheek.

"I knew that you'd come."

* * *

><p>Dutch looked at his angel. To him, there was no other way to describe her. He had learnt that the hard way.<p>

She looked horrifying, enough to crush his heart and soul. Aside from the surface damage which already was bad enough, her wings were both twisted in unnatural angles and she was coughing up blood. Her eyes had a taken on a dull sheen and her wings seemed pallid. Even so, he could see the pure feelings she had for him displayed on her face.

"Yeah, well here I am." He answered sheepishly. The two laughed at the dumb answer, sharing for a while the mutual humor.

Then Vale coughed again and blood splattered across Dutch's combat fatigues. He ignored the wet stain as he looked on with a sad realization.

She was dying. And there was nothing he could do. The thought made his eyes fill with liquid despair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He cried as he hugged her. Vale smiled softly as she returned the hug, her blood staining his clothing.

"Dutch...please?" Her lips formed her request, almost silently, her eyes pleading. Dutch answered her eyes with his own, the wordless request returned with a wordless answer.

He released her from his hug and slowly moved over to her lips, his eyes taking in her image every single second. Then, as her mouth opened expectantly, he kissed her gently, lovingly.

As their tongues slowly intertwined and her taste flooded his mind, Dutch felt it all. He felt the pure and strong feelings of love she had for him in the movements of her tongue, the unquenchable desire for him and him only. As he savored those feelings, Dutch came to terms with himself. Discarding his uneasiness and looking at it freely, he realized, just like the girl in his arms who loved him, he too felt the same.

He loved her.

There could be no doubt. Never against the emotions that bulwarked themselves in his heart.

As they ran out of breath and broke away, Vale smiled serenely as her body started to weaken.

"Thank you." She breathed out in a heartfelt whisper before she closed her eyes, her limbs, her body becoming lifeless. Dutch looked with horrified eyes at the still body of the girl that managed to make a impact in his life.

"No! No no no! Not like this!" He cried as he scanned her for any signs of life. But she simply lay in his arms lifelessly. The sight smashed his heart into pieces as he wept.

"Please..." He begged anything that could hear him.

"There is a way." Vault said as it appeared in front of him. The human looked at the hovering orb with pleading eyes.

"She still exists but her essence was damaged by the hunter killer. In time, she will disappear. However, You can save her but it would require something of serious power. Something you have." Vault , its tone hinting at a decision that was coming.

Dutch asked the next question with breathless anticipation. "What does she need?"

"Material to repair her essence. The closest one is you, your soul to be more specific. With it, she can be brought back to life. In exchange, part of your soul will be bonded to her. She will be linked, through your soul, to you."

"Use it." It was all the answer he would give, it brimmed with unwavering conviction.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? Do not making such an important decision so rashly. You are literally giving away part of your soul." Vault warned.

Dutch snapped. "Dammit Vault! You wanted me to save her, well now I am trying to save her! Do it!"

"So be it."

Vault extended a thread of light from its orb-like form and linked the end to the hearts of the two. It then backed away, leaving the line to hang in mid air, connecting the two together.

"She shall be soul-linked to you. In exchange, for your sacrifice, she will be returned to full health." Vault answered as a portal suddenly enveloped the two.

As the two disappeared, Vault simply hung there, as if silently contemplating the scene it had borne witness to.

"Those are big words you say youngling. But can you commit yourself to them?" It mused.

And then it disappeared.

* * *

><p>Dutch stared at the thread that connected him to the still lifeless girl in his arms. Bright white, it hung in the air, unmoving and awaiting in the void, the world around him a sphere of color from which he stayed inside.<p>

'Waiting for what?' He thought calmly yet desperately.

At his question, the thread started pulsing with soothing blue light. The pulses came in erratic patterns, speeding up, slowing down, staccato and legato. It continued in this random pattern until it finally settled into a reassuring throb of a heart, the deep sound vibrating through his chest.

As Dutch felt the throb wash over him, Vale lit up in his arms. The entity floated away from his as light peeked out of her body, dissolving her clothing until he was looking at the blinding figure of the vault entity.

As Dutch shielded his eyes from the blinding light, a sharp pain, more spiritual than physical, arced throughout his body. He gasped as he felt Himself being carved apart and pulled away. The feeling centered around his heart where Dutch could feel his life literally draining away.

He instinctively grabbed what he knew was the source of the pain, the thread of light, and started to pull it out. His mind gripped with raw terror at the prospect of losing the one thing that tied him to life, he slowly pulled out the line, his body working thoughtlessly to take out the thing that was taking his soul away.

As the thread slowly came out, the pain started to recede, slowly fading away from his body the longer he pulled out the thread. As the pain left, his ability to think clearly slowly surfacing from the sea of pain and terror in his head. The relief from the hurt made him pull faster as he worked as fast as he could to get the thread out of his body.

Just as Dutch felt the tip of the thread started to surface, he stopped. His mind was free enough that he could think clearly, even through the burning pain in his heart. Dutch looked at the thread, now weakly throbbing tandem to his heart beat. He traced it with his eyes, following it to the figure of the vault entity, still blinding white but alarmingly fading away around the edges,

'It's connected to her. The thread is taking away my soul to save her.'He realized. The terror he felt and his instinctive pulling away of the thread must have been his body's natural reaction to protect his soul. Therefore, to save Vale...

Dutch looked at the thread over his heart where it burned. He then looked back at Vale. Reaching deep into himself for support, he took the thread, sucked in a deep breath and thrust what he pulled out back into his body.

Automatically, his hands twitched as they followed his own body attempts to pull out this intruder. Dutch stopped himself, fighting against his own body as he continued to push the thread inwards. He felt it spread deeper into his soul, probing deeper and deeper, each centimeter forcing him into a new dimension of pain and terror.

When he felt that he could pull no further, when the terror and pain he suffered was strong enough to break his resolve, Dutch released his hands from the thread, pulling his untrustworthy hands away from the thread of light. The line pulsed as it sucked away parts of his soul, the white Life-giving substance reaching into the entity opposite him and restoring her image to its proper form, the faded edges slowly lighting up.

Dutch felt his hands twitch back to the thread, the rebellious appendages following his unthinking mind, betraying his consciousness. He mustered what resolve he had felt and poured them into his hands, stilling them.

While its supplier fought against himself, the thread continued on its job, sucking and converting his soul into material to repair the vault entity. As it reached its final task, the thread pulled out the largest portion yet and channeled it into the entity.

Dutch screamed into the void around him. His hands gripped the thread but he fought the urge to pull with what willpower he had left, his mind struggling against the titanic primal need to defend his soul.

Finally, when he felt his resolve completely shatter and his hands started to tug at the thread, Dutch felt the pain started to fade away. As he let out a sigh of relief, he gathered his control and stopped his hands.

While he floated, opposite the body of Vale, Dutch closed his eyes, feeling the border of a portal envelop him and his love.

* * *

><p>Vault control room<p>

The portal reopened and the two landed on something soft and comfy.

Dutch blinked as he realized that he was looking into a bed. Lifting himself up, he turned to the person next to him.

Vale slept, breathing softy and peacefully. She was back to her full glory, her wings in their untwisted form, her clothed appearance clear of any injuries. He realized that he too was clean. It was as if the past events had never happened, as though the ordeal had been no more than a bad dream. The thread that connected both of them together was gone but somehow, he could feel something. He looked inside himself, searching for a way to describe it.

As he touched the feeling, he could not help but smile warmly.

Love. That was the closest thing he could describe the feeling as. Strong and invigorating, it gave him a feeling of life that he knew he should have had, but had lost in the dark days of his past. It recharged him, giving him a feeling of energy that made him smile.

How did that feeling come about he wondered.

Then he looked at the young girl sleeping beside him and had an epiphany. It was her, he realized. She was the one that was sending the feelings to him. The young vault entity was transforming the former soldier with her feelings.

He learned something else that made him chuckle as he stroked her hair. Vault was right, they really were interlinked emotionally and with the soul-binding, spiritually too.

There would be an aftermath, he knew, but that would have to wait. Yawning he settled to sleep alongside an angel who adored him... Who adored him? Placing a loving kiss on her forehead, he knew that he would accept her love with no regrets.

Because it was all worth it.

* * *

><p>Sometime later<p>

Dutch opened his eyes to a pair of sky-blue eyes staring back. He felt the comfortable warm embrace of a blanket over the two of them even as they both lay on the bed.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

Vale nodded silently as she beamed radiantly, her smile laced with gratefulness.

"You saved me." She announced with a sense of awe.

Dutch grinned. "Well, I need someone familiar to work the vault after all. Besides, it's a real joy being around you."

She giggled in answer before leaning in closer, her arms coming up for a heart-felt hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him closer until they were intertwined.

"Thank you. What you did was...was..." She stuttered into his ear.

"Was for my angel. I can't bear the thought of you missing out on your life before it even started. Think of it as a father's duty." He answered as their heads backed up to look into each other eyes.

Vale smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "You're the best father a girl can ask for."

Dutch grinned. "I think we have gotten our definition of fathers wrong. Fathers normally don't kiss their own daughter nor fall in love with them."

The aforementioned daughter giggled. "But we are not normal after all."

The words made him chuckle. "You're right. But I must ask something important. Why?" He asked as his expression turned serious.

Vale took the question with a guilty face. "I thought that I was sure if I left, you would be able to get over me. You were hurting yourself, Dako." She answered sadly.

Those words made Dutch smile with equal sadness. "Don't do that again. If anything happens, we will solve it. But please, just don't run away again. It brings far more problems without answers."

His smile then turned bitterly inward. "Besides, it is my fault. If I hadn't spent so much time outside the Vault, I would have noticed your feelings."

Vale adopted an angry expression before lightly banging their heads together. "Stop! Dako, my feelings are my own. It's not your fault. So please, stop." She scolded.

With that, her frown turned into a warm smile. "Besides, because of the vault, I'm yours. There is nothing stopping you."

Dutch looked thoughtfully. "You're right. There's nothing stopping me from doing this!" At that word, he launched a barrage of attacks against Vale's side.

Vale laughed and flailed her limbs around under the powerful assault. Her wild action caused her wings to break free of the blanket and release a shower of feathers.

Finally, after laughter filled the air to the maximum, Dutch released her from her torture. Panting from the exertion, Vale pulled back the comfortable blanket and embraced him again.

"I wish we could stay here forever." She whispered into his ear as feathers drifted down lazily around them.

"Well I don't. Wouldn't it be better if we could do this in far more beautiful places? This room isn't exactly the most decorative of places." He answered back cheekily.

Vale laughed when she heard his answer. Nuzzling into his neck, she breathed in his scent, her warm breath tickling his skin and sending shivers down his spine.

Happy she could get a reaction out of him, Vale brought herself to face him, where they both stared into each other, each communicating their emotions through their eyes. Hesitantly, she inched forward, their lips getting closer.

But then Dutch laughed softly. As Vale opened her eyes in surprise to his strange action, he grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"This isn't your first time." He said before closing the distance and kissing her.

Vale moaned as she felt their mouths connect. Both their tongues met in the center, coiling around each other. Then, almost teasingly, Dutch pulled back his tongue, slowly retreating back into his mouth. Come in if you can, this was the message his movements seemed to be putting across to her.

She took up the challenge, forcing her way into his mouth. Inside, he let her have her way with him, docilely letting her flood his mouth with her taste. She wrapped her hands around his neck as their bodies intertwined further, pressing her body against his as their legs interlocked.

Everything must come to an end however and Vale regrettably withdrew as that they could break for air. Their lips broke, a thin trail of halcyon saliva linking the two together. They drank in each other's gaze as their breaths .

"How did that feel?" He asked as he smiled roguishly.

Vale smiled. "It felt right."

"You mean it felt wrong before?" He grumbled, the hurt look on his face making Vale panic.

"Ah no! It was because at that time I did not..." Vale gushed as she tried to explain why she had said what she said. As she spluttered, Dutch leaned in and silenced her with another kiss.

Again, Vale's arms pulled him in closer as their tongues dueled for access into the other's domain. Then as they fought, Dutch detached his mouth from hers and moved down. Vale let out a huff of longing as her mouth was left empty which soon changed to a squeak of surprise as Dutch worked his mouth on the creamy skin of her neck. She shuddered and moaned as he traced her jugular, leaving a line of cool saliva on her neck as he licked and kissed downwards, following her blood as it made its way back to her heart. Her life throbbed under his lips as he worked his physical magic on her.

He stopped at her collarbone where he traced it with his tongue, leaving liquid evidence of his attack everywhere he touched. He then traced her carotid artery, following her blood as it journeyed upwards to her head, all the time attacking her skin. Vale's shuddering and moaning reached a euphoric level as her body twisted in pleasure around Dutch, this new attack of pleasure wiping out all coherent thoughts in her head. She panted as he slowly worked his back up, mindlessly content to simply let him have his way with her. Once he could not follow her blood any further, he lifted himself away from her neck, sending a breath of air that combined with the saliva on her neck to make her shiver.

He finished where he started, closing over her panting mouth where they both hungrily devoured each other, fruitlessly trying to sate the burning hunger in their hearts. Finally, reluctantly, they pulled apart, their breaths washing over each other, eyes connected.

"I love you."He announced, the words seeming so right to him.

Vale smiled. "And I love you." She sighed before moving beside him and giving his ear a bite and lick attack. It sent shivers down his spine as he tried to resist her onslaught. Finally however, he gave up and moaned as she kept her attack on him.

Victorious, Vale pulled away, returning to his gaze.

"So, am I your lover or your father?" He asked as the last shivers faded away from both their bodies.

Vale giggled. "You're both. Can't we have both of them?" She asked with a inquiring expression that promised something if he said otherwise.

Dutch grinned mischievously. "I don't know. In theory, I can only be one or the other. You're going to have to choose and choose carefully."

Vale pouted. "Not fair."

He laughed at her expression."Don't worry. Whatever happens, you will always be my angel." He said before kissing her on her forehead.

Vale stared at him with a blank look but as he looked back, he saw a spark of feeling, one he had never seen before in her eyes and yet seemed so familiar to him. Before he could guess why, Vale attacked him with a sudden forceful kiss.

Surprised, his mouth was left open to attack. Vale rushed her tongue in, holding his tongue hostage as she started an almost violent assault in his mouth, her tongue pillaging every corner of his mouth. Stunned, Dutch could only drown in her taste as her hands became twin vises that pulled him against her and their intertwined legs became locked together.

Once she had filled every spot of his mind with her taste and made it as lingering as possible, she released him from the wonderful torture she subjected him to. Stunned, Dutch could only speak one word even as his fogged mind raced to connect that strangely familiar spark in his head.

"Wow."

Vale grinned victoriously as she watched the aftermath of her assault in the man. Bringing her plump lips over to his ear, she whispered her words into his ear with all the finality of a queen. It was at this point that Dutch realized when he had encountered that feeling before.

He had seen it in the eyes of Tenma just hours earlier. He even remembered what he called that feeling. Possessive devotion. And if that wasn't enough, her words confirmed what he saw. That raw constrictive love present in her voice made it very clear.

"Whatever happens Dako, remember this. Just like I'm yours. You. Are. Mine."

* * *

><p>Memories<p>

Nora grinned as she watched Dutch's stunned reaction to Vale's adamant declaration. The actions of the entity met with her approval.

Vale had just drawn her battle lines. This would be very interesting indeed.

"She loves him. But what about himself?" Vault intoned from behind her as it appeared from the rainbow wall of memories.

"He will not betray her. Never for anything no lesser." She answered as the two planners stood and floated next to each other. She knew all of Vault's interests from Dutch's memories and she had deemed it not to be a threat.

"But there is something just as strong. Someone in the real world. Someone that has shown the same possible measure of love for him as she has. What is to stop him from heeding the other's call?" Vault warning ended in yet another question.

Nora chuckled. "He won't. Although, I believe he will surprise us. He definitely surprised me a couple of times." She said as she sauntered back toward the memories.

She stopped as she decided something. "Although... I think I can make it more surprising.

* * *

><p><strong>Well. then, unless you are a bad reader, pairing are now set. OCxOC won. Or did it?<strong>

**Any, sorry for the extremely long wait. Some unexpected things happened and someone's computer has to be sent to be tinkered with.**

**Big thanks goes to Ban3 for editing this chapter.**


	32. Back to the new

**Heh, heres chapter 32. Big thanks as usual to Ban3 as well as those who reviewed. Carry on and enjoy, this chapter contains history.**

* * *

><p>?<p>

The world burned.

Ashes danced, a slow, dreary thing.. or rather, a slow, dreary, wind-whipped thing.

Tenma trekked through the smoldering village, a lone wanderer amongst the scenes of devastation that littered the once prosperous hamlet. As she picked her way through the debris, her burgundy eyes both sharpened and dulled with vengeance and soul crushing sorrow at the sights that she surveyed.

This was to be a thriving village, an attempt to expand the tengu village beyond its borders. It was supposed to be safe from the war, hidden far away from the battles between the Daimyo. Now it was a ruin, the product of human cruelty and her own naivety.

She gripped her katana tightly, the rough and yet soft texture of the hilt forming a reassuring handhold above the precipice of sorrow before her. It was partially her fault for what had happened, she had trusted that the humans would keep their word, that they would keep this new village a secret from the bands of youkai hunters that were descending in the wake of the new war. She knew this could only have come from them, she just didn't know who exactly.

She let out a hiss as she regarded the most populous intelligent being in the land. It was foolish, perhaps, to think that during a war the humans would simply target their enemies alone. Entirely neutral factions were being sucked into the conflict, the war looking more like a free for all than a battle. In fact, the latest reports from the Karasu stated that this attack would definitely not be the first. Already, their scouts were tracking a formation of Samurai and Peasant troops approaching their territory, armed with the latest in rifle technology.

A stray gust of wind blew her hair out around her, bringing with it the needle like sting of loose dust and ash, she stopped mid-stride as she noticed something on the ground.. A bow. Picking up the bow, she knew with a single glance that this was a samurai's yumi, the very large bow having it's string cut, likely from combat. In a silent rage, she clenched her fist, snapping the composite bow in half. Only one group of people commanded Samurai.

The Daimyo would pay for their treachery, it seemed her trust had been misguided.

As she walked to the centre of the village, a wounded moan borne upon the wind made her start. The sound was high pitched, as if it came from a child, and that, made her heart clench. Children had no place here. This village was supposed to have been evacuated. With a heavy heart, she ran towards the source of the voice, the centre of the village where a circle released acrid smoke into the slate grey sky.

At the centre of the village, crucified on top of a cross, a young male Hakurou tengu, looking no younger than nine, moaned deliriously. His eyes were clouded with an empty look as the heat from the ashes below him rose around his body. He gazed dumbly at the approaching tengu, uncomprehending the sight of her.

"No..." Tenma whispered as she took in the sight. This was unimaginable cruelty, the stuff of otherworldly monsters. How could anyone do such a thing?

"Maybe in its death, would the Lord forgive it for its satanic existence." A voice announced behind her, cloaked in self-righteous arrogance.

Tenma unsheathed her katana as she whirled on her feet, her weapon held at the ready when she faced her opponent. Standing before her, a Tanegeshima held at the ready, was a Samurai, decked in the standard armor. What was not standard was the small wooden cross hanging from his hand, worn with age.

"You are a christian." She stated even as she stared down the barrel of the rifle.

The voice emanating from the mask had a sickening devotion to it, a brother to blind faith. "One of the converted. The foreigners have shown me the path. The right path, not the pagan ones that all the fools worship. They have also shown me the true, unholy abominations that plague this land." He said this calmly as he motioned his rifle at her and the boy tengu behind her.

Tenma bristled at the remark. "Abominations?" She coldly shot back. "And all your deeds here, killing the innocents, torturing this boy, what does this say? That you are murderers? Killers of innocents? Who are the abominations here?"

The Samurai simply kept the barrel of his rifle firmly pointed at the tengu. "The Lord forgives all. I am only ridding the earth of that which should not exist."

The continued words of blind faith made Tenma snarl. "We have existed far longer than you can imagine, human. We were there when the bushido code was created. We have seen the passage of time, fought in wars that decided the fate of Honshu. We have done so much for this land, have saved it from disaster. What have you done? You simply destroy what you touch."

The Samurai shook his head, in denial of her words. "Satan comes in many forms and speaks lies and untruths. The only way to silence this is to kill the unholy!" He cried out as he aimed and pulled his finger on the trigger of the gun.

_Thwack!_

Blood poured from the mask as an arrow impaled itself in the would be attacker's neck. The samurai stumbled back, stunned at his suddenly fatal wound. Then with a death rattle, he fell back, his weapon clattering across the ground.

Eri, a silver haired tengu sauntered out from behind a collapsing building, she held a yumi of her own in her deceptively dainty hands. The Hakurou tengu's eyes flashed with disapproval as she approached Tenma, her weapon held at the ready.

"Lord Tenma, if you wish to leave the village next time, at least tell me of your absence. Tracking you was not an easy task."

She chastened the Lord of the Tengu as though a mother scolding a child. She nocked another arrow in her bow. Her ears flicked around, constantly checking for the sound of other threats.

Tenma nodded thankfully at the snowy haired tengu woman. "I... I felt that I should see the devastation for myself."

Eri nodded wryly. "At least take some protection with you, the village needs you."

A moan dragged the attention of the two tengu back to the crucifix. Nodding to each other, they both set to saving the boy. Tenma summoned her wind, sending a razor sharp gale to slice the crucifix at a neat angle. The large cross toppled and collapsed heavily, sending up a cloud of ash as it slid down.

Eri was waiting on the ground. With another gale from Tenma, the majority of the cross was cut away, leaving the boy free to move his limbs even though they were still nailed to the wood. Eri caught the boy, careful not to jolt him too much.

The boy whimpered pathetically as Eri carefully laid him on the ground. His hair was just as pale as the Hakurou tengu next to him but it had a contrasting ashen stripe between his ears. His tail was a mixture of his hair color, the white and grey curling around each other in a symphony of shades. His eyes were a vivid gold-brown hue, striking, even as they were temporarily filled with a soulless emptiness.

"What is your name young one?" Tenma questioned gently as she knelt beside the boy. Instead of an answer, the young tengu simply affixed his eyes on the Karasu Lord before wrapping his arms around her neck, his body leaning against her for comfort.

"Mother..." The boy cried even as he stared at her with uncomprehending eyes. Tenma and Eri shared a worried look. They may have just saved the boy but he could be too far gone.

"Lord Tenma...I knew his parents. They were among the dead." Eri muttered softly, her voice tinged with sadness. Tenma echoed her feelings. Another family gone, ripped apart by the senseless violence. How many more would die?

The boy whimpered as he pulled himself closer to the Karasu , as if understanding the news. Tenma wrapped around the boy protectively, her arms positioning themselves to best support his weight. Looking at the pitiful child clinging to her, she knew the choice she had to make.

"We will take him back to the village. We will care for him. Too many have died. We must protect what we have left." With her proclamation delivered, she unveiled her magnificent wings and spread them in preparation for flight, her arms becoming tight vises to hold the boy steady.

Eri nodded. "I will send a messenger. The apothecaries will be ready as soon as you arrive." She backed up her promise with a deft gesture of her hands. Answering her soundless call, an albino crow, with plumage as snowy white as its mistress's hair, landed on her smooth arm. With an obedient caw, it stretched out its right leg, offering its master the paper and ink attachment on its leg.

Tenma nodded thankfully. "Then I will be off." And she burst off in a gush of wind.

As she rose, smoke curled up around her and the weight on her arms faded away, Tenma regarded the change with surprise. It was the second time in consecutive days that she had had such vivid dreams. While vivid dreams were not anything special, to have two in two days had to mean something.

As she thought about it in her head, she realized something. They happened in places that had some kind of parallel meaning to her dreams. The arena resulted in the conversation with the human foreigner who was her enemy and the orphanage provided her with this latest dream.

Curiously, Tenma wondered how that tengu orphan was doing. The last she heard of him, he was performing well and was slated to be one of the wolves' captains. She thought about his recovery with a rueful smile.

Coaxing the boy out of his trauma had been a difficult task. Her best healers were able to wipe clean the physical scars, but the mental ones were ingrained deep into his consciousness. It had been a painstaking 15 years before they could get him to smile. It then took many more years before he could once again join society.

The very presence of a cross would send him into hysterics. As time passed, the tengu slowly overcame his fear, but Tenma knew that he could never completely overcome the trauma of that event. He would be another casualty of the violence, left to suffer for the rest of his life.

"Interesting that you would think of that child. I assume that children like him were your inspiration to throw your support wholeheartedly into the orphanage. I wholly did not expect this to happen in Gensokyo. Then again, I should have seen it coming. It adds to the complexity." Yukari noted as her words jumped across subjects in massive leaps. The blond youkai lay on a gap lazily, her disheveled clothes giving the impression that she had lain there for a long time.

"Yukari. What are you doing here?" Tenma hissed as she scanned the youkai. Somehow, having the sage of Gensokyo inside her dreams felt like a violation. Her dreams were private and hers alone.

Yukari giggled like a teenager watching an entertaining little game. "Watching you of course. Who would have thought that you, of all people, would have feelings for him. Oh, the humanity!" She laughed as her legs kicked around in humor.

"Get out." The tengu hissed.

Yukari stifled any remaining laughter before giving Tenma a knowing grin. "Oh I will, but I will leave you with.. Let's call it a parting gift. You are not alone nor are you superior in your feelings. In fact, you are outclassed." She finished before falling through the gap.

"What do you mean!" Tenma yelled at the closing gap but no answer was to be had. The youkai lord snarled in anger at the cryptic answer.

That infuriating Yakumo!

Tenma unleashed a wind tornado at the spot the gap formerly occupied. As the air howled, she felt her anger slowly dissipating, dying down to a small ember.

With nothing to do, she settled back in her sleep, closing her eyes and feeling her consciousness drifting away.

This time, she had a peaceful, dreamless sleep. One that cloaked her memories of the dream in obscurity.

* * *

><p>Morning<p>

Orphanage

Tenma rose sleepily. She looked around in a daze. Somehow, things seemed different.

This bed texture felt strange. Nothing like the palace...

First she saw the she remembered yesterday. And the orphanage. And what had happened.

Groaning, she mashed her head into her pillow. She had actually cried in front of Dutch. Her, the thousand year leader of the tengu, in front of a human. Well, there goes her reputation.

She could not help it however, his words had ripped open an old memory of a time when her people were threatened simply because they were youkai. Fields of dead of both sides flashed across her eyes. It was a sad time, more so for her, since she was their leader.

Tenma remembered shutting herself in her room and crying. As a leader who cared for her people, the thought of her people dying was gut wrenching. Even more so when she had to sacrifice some for the many. Silently, Tenma wished for forgiveness from the souls of the brave tengu who had fought and died for the village. She had made sure that the village would remember their deeds, through voice and pen.

Even so, she knew she would carry them until the day she died. It was the burden of a leader who cared.

She knew however, that she would soil their sacrifice if she did not take the future they had died for. With a heave of strength, she got off the futon and stood up. And promptly stumbled on her feet. Catching herself before she collided with the wall, she used the support to steady and assess herself. Wow, she had never felt this weak since... Well, for a long time.

Waiting until she had once again got a grip on how to successfully traverse a room, she slowly made her way to the door. She felt as if her muscles were rubber, sluggishly working their power to get her to her destination. When she pulled open the door, she was greeted with the sight of Dutch reaching for the now out of reach knob. The human started, a slight hint of surprise briefly turning into a smile.

"Finally, you're up." He said cheerfully as he moved aside to let her pass. Tenma looked at him with a greater level of surprise. Somehow, he seemed both happy and guarded at the same time.

"Did something happen?" She asked as she walked out into the hallway, making a point of presenting a proper image to Dutch. The God's knew how much further her reputation could drop if she showed a weak sight to anyone.

Dutch smiled, half apprehensively and half in elation. "I lost something, but I found it again. Then I learned the price of it."

Tenma frowned at his cryptic answer. It did give away some information but without the source material, it was pretty much worthless. Deciding to leave the question for sometime later, she looked out at the cloudy sky displayed through the window. "How long was I sleeping?" She asked as they started down the corridor, the clouds masked any indication of sun position from which she could guess the time.

"It is approximately thirty minutes before noon. I decided to let you sleep in, on account of certain factors." Dutch answered as he let a pair of laughing children pass by him. The sight of joy caused his lips to pull up into a light smile.

"What?! Why?" Tenma exclaimed, surprised and slightly embarassed by the amount time she had spent sleeping. Normally, she would be up by the light of dawn to address the morning issues before the village rose for the day ahead. To learn that she had slept late made her feel as if she had behaved snobbishly, something she would very much like to avoid.

Dutch gave her an inquiring look."Because during the arena match yesterday, you, for lack of a better word, looked exhausted. Including all the exertions later, I felt it prudent to let you have a long rest."

Tenma turned a slight tint of pink. "Ah, I see. Thanks, I guess." She mumbled, hiding the truth that she still felt a little winded from the activities the day before.

Then Dutch's face turned solemn. "Also, I would like to apologize for yesterday. It was quite crass of me to say what I said and I should have been more sensitive."

The look on his face made Tenma rush to counter his words. "N-no. It is not your fault. I merely asked for the opinion of a person who had experience. If anyone is to blame, it would be me for asking in the first place."

* * *

><p>'She feels bad that I feel bad and rushes to explain herself. Quite like you Vale.' Dutch noted as Tenma countered his words with her own. Little did the Tengu lord know that she was now having a conversation with two people, one of them eavesdropping without her knowledge.<p>

'Hmmph!' Vale huffed, giving him an adorably cute mental picture of her standing with crossed arms, complete with a pout and angry flush. The two way mental mind link was a product that had come out of the soul bond that now existed between the two of them. They could have clear conversations, complete without any signs of it, unlike earlier times when they couldn't. Not only that, but he found that the mental pictures that only appeared once when Vale had shown her disapproval for his asinine words at the Moriya shrine was now a common occurrence as images of her would pop up when ever she felt like it.

"How about we decide to leave things as they are and shift to more present concerns? Like taking the time to decide where we shall go from here?" He suggested, preferring to bury the subject before both of his counterparts escalated their respective issues.

Tenma took the offered way out and nodded. "That would be a great idea."

They continued down the hallway, each occupied with their own thoughts.

Dutch sighed inwardly. If anything, he realized that he was in a quandary. The events of the night before brought a new series of challenges. Since Vale had declared her stance, he had to tread lightly around Tenma, lest the Vault Entity became so jealous of her that she did something drastic. He still remembered what had happened when they had first met in her current form and he bet that paralysis was the least of her abilities.

On the other hand, Dutch knew that both of the females had some sort of capacity to affect him. If Vale's signified love, how about Tenma? He guessed that he had some sort of feelings for Tenma too but there were three big hurdles for him. The first was his cute but dangerous Vault Entity of course, but he also did not know just how deep his feelings for Tenma ran. The possibility of him loving two females was... frightening. Dutch did not know if he had the capacity to love twice. The very idea of loving another person with Vale already his would be like a betrayal of her to him and he would rather shoot himself before such an event occured.

Tenma frowned inwardly. Dutch was acting normal today but she could sense something different about him. It was as if there was another presence making itself known, hovering around him. A silent one, content to simply radiate its existence. She could feel it though. It gave off a particular feeling, one that she could feel very explicitly.

He's mine. Stay away. The presence warned.

'Not - going - to - happen.' She swore, a surge of defiance seemed to well up from within her. If this presence sought to have Dutch, Tenma was sure she could free him of this... problem. She would do all that she could to assert her superiority over this upstart presence.

'You will have to make me stay away~' She taunted. This was a fight that she was proficient in. This presence had no idea what it was getting into. Right now, the best way for her to fight this presence was to show it that she was not afraid of it.

"I know this must seem strange after what happened yesterday but I have an inquiry. Just how do you apply your...skills?" She asked, squelching the uneasy feeling she had from asking such a question. A leader of a society asking about the methods of forced societal collapse. Of all the things she has asked for in her life, this had to be one of the most ironic and despicable ones yet.

Dutch turned to her, his face a picture of surprise. 'After what had happened yesterday, one would expect this subject to be taboo. And here we have her asking. Fine. If she so wishes.' Thoughts drifted around the man's mind.

"It would depend on the situation. I think a recount of one experience would be an easier way to explain how it works. I will tell you about it later, when we have reached the dinner hall. You look like you could do with a meal."

And with those words, Tenma's hunger was now a burning flame. Funny how she had not felt it until she was reminded. She had been so focused on trying to keep up her own appearance that she had ignored her own needs, she noted. She should loosen up, she decided, before she wiped herself out.

* * *

><p>Vale looked through Dutch's eyes and scowled. Tenma was being adamant in apparently ignoring her warnings. The sight of the tengu lord next to him made her snarl like a cat, her wings stretched out in anger. Inside her, an angry beast roared an echo of her sentiments.<p>

'Did you say something?' Dutch asked curiously as he heard the sound through his mind link. The question made Vale snap out of her jealous moment as she rushed to reassure Dutch.

'Ah, nothing.' She answered, blushing in embarrassment at the realization that he had heard her. Quickly, she closed the mind link before any more of her jealous actions leaked across to him.

Behind her, Nora laughed at the antics of the soul bound entity. "Heh, you are just like that group of admirers that the three of us picked up along our adventures. All those jealous acts remind me of them. Ah, old times."

Vale turned around with a pout, her face still red. "Quiet! I made you come here, I can make you leave." She warned in an humorous attempt to assert her position over the memory fragment, smiling slightly.

Said memory fragment laughed out loud. "And if you did honey, you would have completely wasted all of your time and none of mine. This is all new to me after all. Besides, shouldn't you be less concerned about losing your control on Dutch? You all but own him." She said as she ruffled the entity's silvery blue hair affectionately.

Vale kept her pout as she let the brunette mess up her hair."But with that bird around, I can't help but feel jealous."

Nora grinned reassuring. "Don't worry. If there is one thing Dutch cannot do, it is betray you willingly. He will be there for you."

The fragment allowed a measuring eye to roam the entity's figure, weighing and guaging her features. "Besides, you have quite a few assets for your age look. Not over the top but definitely not a runaway either. If he leaves you, it definitely wouldn't be because of your figure."

Vale covered her chest protectively with her arms, blushing madly as she took a step back from the memory fragment. "Wha-what are you saying?"

Nora laughed evilly. "I'm saying that if you wanted, you could break him using your body."

"What?!" Vale screamed in embarrassment as her mind deciphered the hidden meaning behind Nora's words. Her red face turned even redder as she struggled to purge her mind of the idea. 'Think pure thoughts, think pure thoughts, think pure thoughts...' She mentally chanted as she created a hovering crystal that glowed threateningly.

"D-do you know what you are saying?" She stuttered in warning as she backed away from the slowly approaching brunette who stretched out her arms hungrily.

"Of course. And as a person who cares for Dutch's well being, I need to check the body of his partner to ensure that it is suitable. Don't worry, Dutch is used to my behaviour." Nora said happily as a dark shadow clung lewdly around her eyes.

"Stay away!" Vale cried out in fear as she created more crystals and launched them at the brunette who launched herself at the trembling entity, laughing maniacally.

* * *

><p>'Somehow, I get the feeling that right now Nora just had her pervert mode activated. I pity whoever is on the receiving end of it.' Dutch thought to himself as he and Tenma both ate their meal. Funny how the figurehead and leader of their group, a female, was more perverted than the subordinates, both males. Reminded of his friends in the outside world, he wondered if they were worried about him. Probably not, seeing how they knew how he operated.<p>

They probably thought that he had disappeared off the face of the Earth to clean up some loose ends. Project Youkai left a lot of debris in the wake of it's collapse and as beholder to a large amount of knowledge stored in his nanotech enhanced mind, Dutch knew what remained of the program. Smiling darkly to himself, he wondered if anyone had any idea about the dangerous knowledge he had at his disposal. An idea just barely in it's infancy in the militaries around the world and yet right now he had access to it's perfected physical forms. Completely ready to fire and destroy civilization.

He thought of the weapon firing, of the damage it would cause when it struck. He savored the idea that only he had the power and the thought that absolutely no one knew of it's ultimate incantation, it's power nor it's existence. It was quite intoxicating, to know that in a single thought, you could completely and utterly change the world for the worse.

"Dutch? Is something the matter?" Tenma asked as she looked at the human. He looked, for the lack of a better word, power drunk. She had only seen that kind of look before on the faces of leaders who arrayed an army of sycophants to feed their ego, not a former shadow soldier. Frankly, it looked concerning.

He snapped out off his trance. Blinking away the last traces of power in his eyes, he gave her a calm shake of his head.

"Nothing. Just remembering some old information." He answered.

Tenma looked at him with an unconvinced expression digging at her face. She decided to let the matter go, for he had his secrets and she had her own.

"So what do you want to know? A city drowned in anarchy? Or perhaps a simple assassination? Or how about a simple battle? A lot has happened in my life and you can only pick one of them." Dutch pushed his plate away and steepled his finger lazily. Despite his laid back tone, Tenma could easily see that this was uncomfortable for him.

She gulped. All three provided options were ones that she felt were less than fine for her. But she asked for them and she had to know just how he was, if not for her own knowledge, for Gensokyo's safety, lest the human in front of her ran amok. Even though she thought that such an event seemed distant, far more unlikely things had happened before, especially given the unique nature of Gensokyo.

"I choose the first option." Tenma said as she pushed away her own plate, her appetite evaporated. She steeled herself for what was about to come.

Dutch grinned. It was a smile devoid of humor, filled with dark emotions and the promise of darker events.

* * *

><p>4 years ago<p>

[Redacted]

[Redacted]

City center

The yells of angry voices filled the streets. The human column marched down the road, a primal rage inherently strong in numbers forcing back the policemen sent to contain them. The air was thick with human emotions as people power rose in a massive onslaught against their leaders.

In a side alley, Dutch laughed darkly as he watched the display. In a way, he envied these people, their simple lives dictated by simple actions. If they were unhappy with the current establishment, simply show their anger by gathering in groups and marching to the government center. Boring lifes, safe and repetitive, with only that little they could do enough to satisfy them. If they knew the coming storm, they would flee in terror.

For him however, things had to be of a far more grander scale. To save the many, the few must suffer. After all his planning, after all his considerations, he knew that this was the only way forward. Human nature simply could not be trusted to follow through with what is right. To wait is to stand in front of the gun, defiant and dying, heroic, but it served no practical purpose other then to create a martyr and what is a martyr if there is no one to inspire?

Like those in the streets, he wanted to send a message. However, his message would resonate far better with the world than any protest would. His method would be extremely amoral, his tactics completely unthinkable and the result absolutely predictable.

Walking out into the streets, he joined seamlessly with the group as they chanted their slogans and held up their sign boards along their journey. He knew from planning that this was but a single river feeding into the city center. All around the city, people were angry and they were willing to show it. He needed to send his message where there was the greatest concentration, so that his efforts would pay off.

He knew they would attribute this event to hooligans, anarchists and the usual rabble, but that was what made him invisible. The wide general definition would simply give him another cloak by which to cover himself. Why think so deep when far more reasonable answers protest right outside your doorstep.

As he continued down the road, he finally reached his destination. The city center, a crucial hub which traffic moved through, now the site of the largest gathering of angry people the city had ever experienced. The noise was unbelievable, a primal roar of feeling that resonated across the crowd.

Dutch simply huddled inwards over his hoodie, exposing as little face as possible. Moving along the edge of the crowd, he reach his location, a van parked along the side of the road. Using a pair of keys, he opened the door and looked inside.

Satisfied with what he saw, he closed the door and locked it, careful to block the sight of any protesters from seeing the contents of the van. His deed done,he headed out into the sea of people, always hiding himself from view, away from prying eyes.

In the sea of humanity, he smiled bitterly. This gathering of angry people was intended to show their leaders a posture of strength, of unity against the conditions that they had endured for so long, but he knew humankind was fickle. This show of unity was as weak as a house of cards.

And he simply needed to push. Right. There.

In a blur of action, he introduced his fist to the side of a drunk, angry man shouting along with the people around him. It was a calculated sequence, forged by years of experience to simply stun and hurt, not to knockout. The moment the man was struck, a timer appeared in Dutch's view.

10 seconds.

As the man fell, Dutch turned around and forced his way into the crowd. The angry atmosphere drew away the attention of the people around him and he projected a forceful air around him. The crowd parted as he continued along his way.

5 seconds

By now,the drunk man had recovered from his attack. His head clouded with alcohol and ringing with pain, he got up, stumbling against the other protesters as he looked around for the culprit. Seeing a hooded man next to him, he swung a punch, eager to exact his revenge.

1 second

By now, the fight had escalated. The drunk man simply swung his fists about in a wanton manner, he whacked the people around him and set them off too. People were fighting in the middle of the crowd, the combat rapidly drawing in bystanders, each releasing their built up anger physically.

Zero

The door to the van parked along side the road clicked shut. Inside, Dutch opened the trapdoor on the floor of the vehicle and entered the dark opening of the city sewer system. With a grunt of effort, he slid the cover shut, making sure to press a button on the rusted underside of the van.

In the darkness, he simply strolled towards his new goal, the walls of the sewers blocking out the chaos overhead. Compared to the deafening shouts earlier, the silence was pure bliss. His footsteps echoed around him in comforting staccato taps. Cobwebs and dank, stale air huddled around him and clung to his face.

By the time he had exited the sewers, city law enforcement were all but wiped out in the attempt to contain the free for all in the city center. The van along the side of the street was consumed in flames, the result of apparently faulty wiring and a leaking fuel tank.

By the time he had left the city altogether, riots were exploding everywhere.

When he had finally passed the border, the city was in flames and the rest of the country was drowning in anarchy.

* * *

><p>As Dutch finished his tale, he took a look at Tenma, curious to watch her reaction. As expected, the silver haired tengu lord looked queasy from the tale as she tried to comprehend what he had just told her.<p>

"Why?" She asked as she struggled to understand why would anyone do such a thing.

At the question, Dutch sighed. "That was the killer question. You see, normally this sort of event would be ignored, since this is a rather common occurance in the outside world. However, I received information that the leaders of the country had actually intended to send in an army to quell the protesters by using exactly what I did but far worse. This and several other political moves would have given them total control of the country with the army as their tool. This would have sent a wave of fear across the country and no one wanted a massacre nor dictatorship. So I decided to circumvent this by setting off the crowd in a way that would be easy to spread the feeling before the army deployment was complete. The sudden violence caught the leaders off guard and they rushed the deployment of their forces, resulting in massive confusion. The result, the country leaders were overthrown in the confusion and a would be dictatorship was stopped."

Tenma blinked. "That was actually quite a good move. You saved the country."

To that statement, Dutch laughed bitterly, his laugh dying into a equal bitter smile. "And in the process, killed several hundred people. You see, everything that happens hinges on human nature. From my research, I learnt that the army general likely would have objected and the soldiers might have simply disobeyed their orders . You know why I still did it? Because I couldn't take that risk. I couldn't bet that a conscience would triumph over orders. What has happened has happened and all those lives that I theoretically saved can never compare to the lives I destroyed. Out of the two outcomes, it was the better ending but whether what I did was necessary or not, I will never know. You know what is the best part? I would do it all over again if I had to."

The look of self-loathing on his face was so strong that Tenma had to do something. Placing her hand over his, she favoured him with a sad smile.

"But you had nothing else as an answer. You did what you had to do." She consoled him gently. Dutch looked up at her as her eyes channeled an unspoken sentence between them.

You are not alone. She whispered... Or at least conveyed wordlessly. The feeling passing between equals. Both knew the feeling of hard choices and to another equal, there was a kinship that went deep.

It made him nod thankfully.

* * *

><p>Nora smiled sadly as she looked at the view. The fact that Tenma could console him after what he had said gave her a warm feeling. It made her approve of the tengu lord. Maybe Dutch could finally find the happiness that he deserved.<p>

Beside her, Vale watched sadly, streams of tears running down her face.. She had received the feeling of self loathing at full blast from Dutch and it was painful, to say the least. The cry of sorrow that she released was so heart wenching it stopped Nora in her tracks before she could reach her. To feel this much self hate was like stabbing oneself repeatedly. Dutch kept his feelings to himself and this was one of the few times that she would ever learn about it.

He always kept what he felt to himself. No complaints. She was always curious about what went on in his mind, aside from the standard bemoaning that even she did, he never cried out in anger or frustration.

"Why do you always keep it in?" She once asked him. She saw the change in his eyes, the pain that threatened to explode outward from her probing question. For a split second, he looked less like the man he was forced to become and more like the boy he should have been, lost in the pain of what he had experienced.

He had returned her question with an idle chuckle. "Not worth much is it." He answered as his humor eclipsed the pain that was revealed in that split second. She gave up the line of questioning and Dutch continued to keep his pain more closely than his secrets.

"How long must you keep doing this? To keep all this hate locked inside you." She whispered deploring. She looked away, having seen enough for herself.

The angelic entity clenched her fist as her face changed from sorrowful to determined. She wiped away her tears, turning to the memory fragment and speaking with conviction in her voice.

"I want you to train me."

Nora looked in surprise at the entity. This new request was unexpected. After all, Vale was safe in the vault. The hunters were called off once she had returned to the control room and no physical object save her soulmate could enter.

"Why? Do you know what you are really asking?" Nora probed inquisitively. This new development was interesting. This was something Dutch would be more inclined to ask for, even when in a completely safe place. Maybe both sides were influencing each other.

Vale nodded resolutely. "I saw his face when I died. That look... I-I can never forget it. I will not let him experience that again, if I can help it." She answered, her face twisting into an anguished grimace as she remembered his expression.

Nora grinned a predatory smile. "Fine. But I must warn you. This will be brutal. I won't do things half-heartedly. There won't be any predictable trainings, no simple training regime or actions. I will be attacking you with what I have. You must learn to adapt or perish. Are you still willing?"

Her soon to be student answered with a hard look, one that looked out of place on her adorable features. Her wings gleamed with light as they stretched out to their full glory and her sky blue eyes shone like a morning sky. At that very moment, she looked more like an avenging angel than a young girl.

Nora simply smiled wider. All this was simply an appetiser before the true material was revealed.

* * *

><p>Dutch's memory<p>

Atlantic Sea

Decommissioned Haruna Class Destroyer

Christened Depth Watcher

Vale flapped her wings as she hovered over the gently rolling deck of the destroyer. Nora simply smiled as she took in a breath of salty air. The azure waters stretched out to the horizon and beyond, not a single object to mar it's clarity. Light glinted off the gentle waves, forming the illusion of bright diamonds on the surface.

"Feels great, doesn't it? Come on, you won't feel any different from this. Land on it." She urged. Vale took on an uneasy expression as she landed on top of the deck. Grabbing onto the railing along the side of the ship, she held on as she let her body get used to the rolling motion of the stationary ship.

"Right, now that we are both on this thing..." Nora said as she snapped her fingers. Vale yelped in surprise as she felt her mental mind link with Dutch disappear.

"Right, no special unfair advantages to even the score or distractions. Just you and me." Nora continued predatorily as she charged Vale. The entity backed away as her opponent grabbed her arm and in one move, sent her over the edge. The splash formed an appropriate finish to her attack as she looked back. Vale reappeared on top of the deck, drenched in salty water.

"Wha..?" The stunned entity uttered bewildered as she tried to reorient herself with the sudden events around her. Her soaked clothes clung to her wet body as she stared blankly at the dry metal underneath her.

"First rule of fighting, know your situation. The better you know the details , the easier you can adapt to them. Remember any and all points of interests." Nora barked out as she held out a hand. A line of memory weave appeared over her hand, coiling around itself like a snake.

"This is your situation. What I hold in my hand is a memory. If you can reach the criteria that I have set for you, you get to peer inside this memory. After all, you haven't seen all of Dutch's important memories yet have you?" She offered with a wry smile. An incentive was a good motivator.

Vale dragged herself up with a grunt of effort. With a yell, she charged Nora.

The water splashed 3 seconds later.

* * *

><p>Orphanage of lost dreams<p>

Tenma silently contemplated what she had learnt as she watched Dutch carry away their plates.

From what she could tell, the man she knew hid a painful past, one even she would have trouble comprehending. To do such a dark deed, for the right reasons, was far more painful than simply doing it for evil. It was a wonder he hadn't lost his mind yet.

"He seems like a good man." An aged voice pierced her thoughts.

Tenma looked up to see Rosa smiling down at her. "He is." She remarked wistfully as she glanced to see his back disappearing around the corner.

Rosa grinned with wisdom as she moved to sit opposite the tengu lord. Her face filled with hidden knowledge, she littered her next words with a sprinkling of amusement.

"Is that why you wish for him, Lord Tenma?"

Tenma glanced in stupefied shock as she heard her true name spoken out aloud by the elderly human. Other than her split second of shock, she controlled her expressions very carefully, making sure to present a composed face to Rosa.

"How did you guess?" She probed curiously. If Rosa knew her identity, it would be a fool's game to deny it. She had to find out how her alias was broken.

Rosa simply chuckled. "I can never forget a benefactor of the orphanage. Especially one like you who has done so much for the children. Or perhaps you don't remember?"

A long unseen memory flashed by, one of a human female requesting her permission to establish an orphanage so close to Tengu territory. Tenma blinked as she tried to match that young impassioned woman in her memory to the aged one in her eyes. As she remembered the events that happened that day, she started.

"Ah." She simply stated as a flash of remembrance lit up in her eyes.

Rosa laughed softly. "Yes it was. I wanted to get your attention remember? So I challenged your head of security to a duel. I still remember that fight as if it was only hours ago. The feeling in the air was exciting, wasn't it? A human actually challenging one of the most powerful tengu in the village. Most would have deemed it suicidal."

"You were soundly defeated, if I recall." The tengu lord mused, her head cocked to the side, a slender finger tapping on her cheek.

The human elder nodded humorously. " I was fighting a youkai with a skill level that was high, with the experience of years far beyond mine and on her home ground. I wasn't going to stand a chance at all."

"And yet you still did." Tenma finished, looking confused at the idea.

Rosa smiled serenely. "When you have people important to you, you would do anything to help them. No matter what you get in return, you will do it because they matter. All the actions in the world simply cannot measure up to the people that are special to you."

She affixed Tenma with an introspective eye. " Perhaps you would have seen it in the people close to you. Maybe not directly but it's either shown or implied.

"You are of great importance to the village. Like it or not, your safety is far more important than me beating some random youkai. If I can minimize the amount of danger you have to face, then yes, I would. Even if it hurts me."

Tenma looked away. "Yes, he did say that." She mumbled quietly as she avoided the gaze of the human.

Those words made Rosa smile in delighted surprise. "Oh,I didn't mean him. But that is interesting. He understands your importance and is willing to sacrifice himself for that. That shows quite a level of selflessness."

"He does have quite a large amount of it." Tenma returned with a small smile.

"So what do you see in him?" Came the question, rammed straight at the gates. Tenma froze as she struggled to answer the deceptively impossible question.

"I can't tell you. I really don't know how to explain it. It was like a shadow that crept up and suddenly he was there. He did nothing special but somehow, he managed to do all the right things. Said the right words..." Tenma answered as she reminisced the time they spent together. Even if it was short, the last few days were filled with adventure. Her heart fluttered with anticipation as she realized what the days ahead might offer. The promise of a journey with Dutch gave her heart palpitations.

"But is there anything that is special to you?" Rosa probed further.

Tenma gazed into memory. "...Him. That's all I can say. He arrived, accepting that youkai existed and was willing to exchange with them. That was notable to me."

"Are there any faults that you find about him?" Came the next question.

Tenma clenched her fist as she remembered the events of the day before. "His recklessness concerning his own life. He is willing to place himself in danger just for the safety of others while completely disregarding his own."

Rosa's eyes crinkled with mirth at Tenma statement. "Most would see that as a blessing, not a fault."

"I don't. He is risking himself." The silver haired youkai lord hissed with conviction.

Rosa watched the changes in the youkai with amused eyes. "So you love him."

The statement made Tenma snap her head back to reality. "Wha...no, impossible." She flushed as blood gushed into her cheeks before spreading to the rest of her face. It seemed the tengu lord had become a brilliant ruby... or at least her face had.

Rosa grinned as she took on a shark like smile. Blood was in the water. "Tell me, Lord Tenma. If what you feel is not love, what is it? You desire him, that is obvious. You accept him for who he is, even his faults. What other reason can justify your behavior?"

"But it would be impossible. A youkai and a human, together? The chances of it happening simply do not exist."

The fervent denials simply strengthened the elderly human's resolve to let the tengu lord see the truth. "Then what is it? Human youkai bonds have happened before. You desire him in a way that others don't. What else can there be to say?"

Tenma simply covered her face with her hands as she shook her head. "No no no, it's just not possible. It cannot happen." She cried out. A public human youkai relationship would be shunned in most places of Gensokyo, even for her. If even a rumor reached the ears of the village, she would be kicked out of office faster than Shameimaru could deliver her paper. Even though youkai and humans both mixed together, inter-species bonds were incredibly rare. Love was where both sides drew the line.

"It already has. Look inside, Lord Tenma. You cannot deny yourself." Rosa left the warning as she turned away. Unseen by the tengu, she smiled to herself. The seed had been planted. It was simply a matter of time before Tenma would succumb to it.

It was surprising at first. As she took care of the children the night before, she had seen the two figures on the wall, one supporting the other as the lightest whisper of crying drifted through the window. She had seen the actions that happened, the key moves that signified the deep feelings they both had for each other.

It shocked her when she realized that all this movement was unconscious. Anyone with a good eye could see the obvious feelings they held for each other except, apparently, the people themselves. This could not last. Rosa had to make sure that they knew their feelings before it brought problems to both of them. She was a firm subcriber to the true love has no bounds school of thought and she applied it to her daily life. Right now,it would be useful in what it brought.

As she left the room, she saw Dutch returning from his errand. She signaled her wish to talk to him. The young man complied, eyes curious to why she would call him.

"Your companion seems to be a good person." She started, using the same starting sentence as she did in Tenma.

Dutch smiled. "We try to be." He answered, his tone hinting at the hard choices they both had to made.

Rosa blinked. This was already getting interesting. "How did you meet?" She inquired.

"I was given an assignment and she just happened to be in the area. After that, things rolled on." He answered as he shrugged at his own words. Truthfully, it was an complete simplification of the events that happened. That being said, it was the best he could come up without straying into lying.

"Ah, I see." Rosa answered as she took in the information. By now, Tenma's pet human was much less a running joke and more of an actual title. Somehow, someone brought up the idea that this new outsider who was under Tenma control was basically her new right hand man. As such, he was dangerous and should be watched carefully, lest he somehow inexplicably advanced the Tengu village's agenda over others.

Yet when Rosa looked into those blue eyes, she saw in his eyes not danger but instead a window into a lost person's mind. He looked just as lost as the children she took in. To her, those looks were one of the most heart breaking things she had seen. Those eyes were the eyes of a person who had given up on his life.

And all that was hidden within those eyes. She knew, without a doubt, that this young man here had seen and done things that grown men would fear. The pain of it was etched into his eyes.

"Ah, I shouldn't hold you back from your partner. Please, return to her. I have to see to the children." The human elder said as she decided to cut short her inquiry. All the information she inferred was interesting enough. She decided not to pry any further.

Back at the room, Tenma was silently contemplating her situation. She absentmindedly brushed back a lock of silver hair as she engaged in introspection.

Dutch.

That human male both enticed her and infuriated her. In the few days since they had met, he had managed to coax out a wide range of emotions from her, something even centuries old tengu would find impossible to accomplish. He even managed to almost draw her into a kiss, completely without any notice whatsoever. He had actually bitten her, something that would normally result in his death.

She checked her hand by reflex. As her youkai senses scanned for any mark on her hand, even though she knew there was none, she looked and realized that even then, while he was doing that act, he was gentle. His teeth did not bite into her skin anymore than it actually caressed it. Just thinking about it made her flush gently.

And... yet when she dug deeper, she concluded that Dutch was an enigma to her. All that she knew was more than often just the experiences of his time in Gensokyo. Yes, he also had some sort of connection with Yukari. If anything, Tenma knew that if Yukari was into this, things were at a level that even she might have trouble comprehending.

Somehow, Tenma felt that she was entering into something that could be well over her head. Something was about to happen and Dutch would be the catalyst.

Ah, think of the human and the human shall appear.

Dutch got a bad feeling as he looked at Tenma. The tengu lord looked like she was deep in thought before he entered. If past experiences taught him anything, it was that something was about to happen and it would be big.

His eyes drifted upwards towards the heavens which at the moment were concealed by a dilapidated ceiling, if she proclaimed her love for him right after Vale did, this would be an impossible situation in so many ways for the three of them. Suffice to say. Dutch feared for Vale's reaction should that happen. Involuntary vault confinement was not on his list of things to do.

What he needed was a diversion. Something to take her mind off him. And he had just the right question to ask. One that he realized he should have asked yesterday.

"Teri, I have a question. Since you are a crow, how come you don't use your powers?" He asked as he took his former spot opposite her.

Tenma glanced at him at his sudden question. She temporary held off her line of thought as she set herself on the task of explaining.

"In my position, if I used my powers, it would be obvious what I was. In the end, I only used my power in front of my guard. I'm actually a better fighter with the sword." She answered, her prefered weapon clinking by her side. Rosa was strangely perfectly fine with weapons next to her charges. It was slightly unnerving, seeing children running happily around lethal weapons that could lop off their heads with a simple swing.

"But you aren't in the village. Wouldn't you be free to use your powers? Or perhaps there is another reason?" Dutch shot back mockingly. The bait had been thrown. It was time to see if the bird would bite. No pun intended.

Tenma pursed her lips at the allegory. Although he was not fully serious, his last words strayed into dangerous territory. To her, there was only one way to really prove her capability.

"Perhaps you wish a demonstration of my power? In fact, how about a match between the two of us. It would be useful in learning each of our different strengths and weaknesses." She replied calmly, her tone however challenged Dutch to say no.

He winced inwardly. This was expected but he really did not wish to have to fight Tenma. Frankly, she looked like she could curb-stomp him into the ground. All while looking beautiful he might add.

"Can I say no?" He returned with an expectant face. There could only be one answer for him.

Tenma adopted a sly smile as she affixed him with a hard look that arrested his gaze. As she held his look, she shifted smoothly, her body curving to face at an angle away from him, the light catching the curve of her breast and lighting up the tips of her hair, giving her an angelic silvery glimmer around her pale face. Her contrasting burgundy eyes seemed to bore into his soul as she leaned towards him, holding him captive in the power of her gaze while he dumbly stared back at her, a mortal looking at the beauty of a being beyond his imagination.

"Of course not." Came that sultry silky voice again, completing the most alluring image Dutch had seen in his life. Needless to say, all his resolve crumbled in the face of this...this unbelievably enchanting image, this impossibly beautiful woman.

Dutch reddened from the sight of her as his mouth working unconsciously to utter the one feeling his mind was experiencing.

"Wow." He breathed out, his eyes still held captive by Tenma's gaze. The almost inaudible word made Tenma smirk.

"Well then, I'll be waiting for you outside." She continued before rising up and leaving. Her counterpart's eyes followed her as she crossed the threshold of the door and stayed there, long after she was gone. Dutch was left to himself in the room, his mind recovering sluggishly from the womanly assualt.

As he shook himself out from the trance, he struggled to comprehend the powerful female that he was partnered to, that was some seriously powerful stuff she had just used on him. He made a note to always keep in mind that Tenma was both a youkai and a woman. Both were powerful in their own right but when combined, he had practically folded like putty.

As he rose, he realised something that made him shudder in fear and something else too. Something about Vale and Tenma. Both females were powerful in their own right. And if he wasn't careful, when the collision came, and he was sure that it would happen, the effects of it would be one for the record books.

Better run for cover.


	33. A tale of two fights

Welcome, to number 33! Now, this chapter is full of fighting, so SATE YOUR THRIST FOR BATTLE. Also enjoy...

Also, I'll be running back through certain chapters and fixing what i feel is wrong. One example is Nora's appearance. Seriously, what was i thinking? That pretty sued her immediately.

* * *

><p><em>Men are increasingly shown to be outdated. Numerous examples will easily show this once hidden fact. The increasing entry of women into male dominated areas of society, such as engineering, are an indicator that the female gender are easily as capable as the males in performing difficult tasks. Even the family unit has developed to show this. Stories of single mother families, despite the stigma that society would attribute to them, show that the family unit can function without men. One must only look at scientific evidence that show that the child bonds better with the mother than the father, to see this. The mother acts as incubator, nurser and teacher to the child, staying by the child's side during hishers most important years, while the father simply acts as a role model, leaving a far lesser impact on the child than the mother due to the reduced time he spends with him/her. At this point, the main function of men in the family unit is to supply the sperm. Even then, this purpose has been superseded by the advent of sperm banks and cloning, with selective procedures to allow the mother to select the best sperm for her child. The future looks increasingly feminine and it would be good for the company, both for economic and publicity reasons, to act on this quickly._

-First paragraph of "The future of Traxus." Drafted by East Asia Japan Branch Manager John Darand.

-Co-opted with East Asia Office of Physics Chief Presiding Director Nora.

-Co-opted with former Office of Physics operative Dutch Kotozaki.

* * *

><p>Dutch's Memory<p>

Depth Watcher

Night

Nora laughed gleefully as she ducked below the threshold of the window. Over her head, a barrage of white crystals peppered the glass, the solidified silicon shattering into a hail of shards that glinted in the light of combat.

"Come on! You have to do better than that!" She shouted to her attacker her tone full of self-serving smugness. She returned the attack with a counter barrage from her UZI pistol, the 9mm bullets blasting off in a array of light, each of them fired in a random direction.

Vale growled as she danced past the shots. Calling up another series of crystals, she sent them off in a concentrated fusillade, keeping her fire on Nora's last known position. Her heart beat rapidly as it worked to fuel her body, her wings had become an blur of frenzied motion as she constantly shifted around outside the bridge of the ship, careful not to stay in one spot for too long.

She had learnt that the hard way. Her enemy was unsettlingly accurate, even with just a split second to aim. Dutch actually took much longer to shoot but she realized it could have been the different weapons each were using. She made a note in her head to ask Nora about the differences that each weapon held.

Nora chuckled proudly as she felt the metal behind her back rattle under the force of yet another barrage. Vale was learning fast. Already she knew to keep her enemy down and from the different sounds echoing around her, she could tell that the young girl was constantly on the move.

She stifled a laugh as she remembered just hours ago when she had caught Vale with a headshot in midair. The stunned look of disbelief was perfect laughter material.

But, as she raised her hand over the edge of the window to send off another series of shots, Nora decided to end the exercise. They had been fighting for hours already and even if time passed as she dictated inside the memories, she believed it was time for Vale to receive her prize. The entity had reached her goal within the expected time and would be well rewarded.

"Nngh!" Vale grunted as she felt a stray shot graze her wing, managing to blast away a few feathers. The entity landed on the deck of the ship, taking a few seconds to check her aching wing before bringing up her crystal danmaku for light. Slowly, she ascended the stairs to the bridge, her hands ready to fire at a moment's notice.

At the top, Vale carefully backed herself against the wall, careful to make herself as small a target as possible. She cautiously opened the door to the control room of the ship, her weapon constantly pointed in front of her.

Inside, the bridge stood empty. Pockmarked equipment greeted her, black burns invisible in the pitch black darkness marking the dents. Shards of glass reflected her own light back at her, each glinting in tandem to her crystal.

As Vale slowly approached Nora's last known position, her foot crunched on a shard of glass, the sharp splinter pierced her foot sending a lightning bolt of pain up her leg. She winced and teared up at the sudden acute agony, but kept her voice down. Slowly but carefully, she retreated to the door, limping away from the minefield of silicon.

As she was about to step outside, a groping hand suddenly clutched around her chest and gave her breast a measuring squeeze. The stunned entity froze to the violating touch even as a victorious voice whispered.

"Hmmm, medium but ample enough. Perfect for your figure. You pass."

Blushing madly, Vale spun around and unleashed all of her crystals in one burst. But Nora was already out of the way, following the momentum of the spin and reaching out with her arms.

With a yelp, Vale felt herself lifted off her feet and sent tumbling back into the water. The entity let out a cry of pain as she felt the saltwater enter the wound in the sole of her foot. Then, as she expected, she was suddenly back on metal, wet from past landings. Even though she had experienced countless such transitions from the hours prior, it was still unsettling for her.

As she lay on the deck grasping for her bearings, Nora leaned over her with triumphant smile plastered across her features.

"You passed the test. I think you deserve this." She announced as she called up the memory weave. Vale only whimpered as she felt the pain in her foot burn from the salt in the seawater.

Nora's smile died as she saw the wound. Twisting her lip, she got down onto the deck, calling up a first aid kit.

"Looks pretty bad. I'll have to get that out. Bite on this." She commanded as she passed a soft towel to Vale. The entity gave the clean white towel an uneasy look before chomping down on it as hard as she could. Tears had already started trickling down her face as she held on against the pain in her foot. Her vision blurred as she watched Nora work her skills on her.

Nora took another towel and cleaned away what seawater she could find from the wound. Then she pulled a pair of tweezers from the first aid bag and gave Vale a hard look as she clasped the tip of the tweezers around the glass shard sticking out, the shard creaked in protest.

"Do you trust me?"

Vale could only nod at the question. Before her head could even finish rising, Nora had yanked the shard of glass from her foot. The young girl screamed into the towel as a wave of unbridled agony washed over her.

Nora hugged the entity tightly, trying to be as comforting as she could. "It's okay, it's okay." She whispered, her tone had become almost motherly as Vale grabbed her arm in pain. They rode out the storm, entity and memory holding onto each other.

Vale released Nora as she reached for the gag in her mouth. Panting heavily, she whimpered at the blazing pain in her foot.

"It...hurts..." She sobbed pitifully. Nora bit her lip again as she carried on with the healing of the young girl. Taking out a a bottle of saline solution, she poured a few drops into a swab and dabbled the swab in the open wound. Vale gripped the towel in her hand as tightly as she could, fighting hard to hold down her cries of pain.

Nora carried on with her job, calmly adding a bit of antiseptic ointment to the wound before dressing it with a bandage. Once she had finished performing first aid, she lay down next to the young girl and patted her head reassuringly.

"There there, it's done. While I'm not sure that you could actually get an infection inside here, let's not run the risk of it. Not to mention that Dutch will get suspicious if he sees it." She said as she lay down on the deck again.

As the burning slowly faded away to an ignorable ache, Vale reached over and hugged Nora lightly, returning the gesture to her before laying on her back once again.

"Thank you." She whispered as they just lay there feeling the gentle rocking of the boat, the starry night sky over them like a beautiful ceiling of lights overhead.

Nora chuckled in nostalgic mirth. "I always mothered those two, so it's second nature to me. Although, since now you are taking over my job, I think I'll have some time to myself. Taking care of those two kids is just so damn hard."

The memory fragment brought back the weave of memory. "So, want to see a movie?" She offered, grinning as Vale's eyes tracked the solidified memory alertly, as if it were prey.

The entity reached for the weave, feeling the power of past events overcome the two of them.

* * *

><p>4 years ago<p>

Ukraine

_Punch!_

Dutch groaned as he recovered from the hit, his head slowly turning back to face the interrogator.

He was in a dark room, the stereotypical table under light arrangement being the only feature that inhabited the room, along with the people who were either talking to him or punching.

"What happened in that room boy?" The interrogator grumbled, the only visible feature giving away his position being his cigarette, which cast an orange hue on the proceedings.

Dutch laughed. "Well, it was game night and I was playing poker with your wife."

_Punch!_

He groaned again. The interrogator flicked a glowing ember onto the growing pile of ashes, clearly biding his time in the expectation of an answer that satisfied him.

"Oh wait, it was your mother."

_Punch!_

The interrogator's chair creaked in protest, the cigarette sank before rising once again, showing his movement. "We have witnesses at the scene who all remember hearing gunshots and our officers say that you had a gun in your hands and three dead men around you. Now if you don't tell me what happened in that room, I will have Rupert here bludgeon you all night long."

Dutch gave his torturer an insulted look. "The guy beating me is named Rupert?"

"My mother was a British woman." Rupert said before swinging his fist again.

_Punch!_

"Ow...Was that really necessary?" The battered boy complained as blood dripped from his nose.

"It will be if you don't come clean." The voice in the darkness promised.

"Too late." Said Nora as she turned on the light in the room. The young woman threw a disgusted look at the people inside. Clad in a business suit that fitted her figure, she exuded an image of sensuous purpose, a driven person with the looks to prove it.

She walked up to the table, her high heels clicking on the cold, concrete floor. She held a piece of paper in her petite hands.

"This man is mine now. So unless you have something that looks exactly like this, let him go." She ordered.

The interrogator heaved a sigh before gesturing with his hands. Rupert backed away from the chair, allowing Dutch to rise from his seat. He followed Nora out of the door unsteadily, his movement slightly unsettled.

Outside, Aden leaned against the wall, throwing and catching a bullet in his hands. Spotting his partner, he moved to support him, the two following the young woman out of the station and into the streets.

"She's pissed, isn't she?" Dutch whispered warily.

His partner nodded silently as they slid into the back seat of a car. As Nora entered the driver's seat, Her furious glare slid across the car and met Dutch's nervous eyes.

"Why did you do that?" She asked seemingly calmly, her anger however was a plainly seething cauldron that threatened to spill over.

Dutch sighed. "We both know that the sting went downhill once that man brought his friends along for the ride. The plan called for you two alone in the same room, if I remembered correctly. I had my misgivings when I saw the group but when I saw them getting violent, well, all bets were off." He explained as he relived kicking the door open and shooting away.

Nora frowned furiously. "And taking the fall for me? Letting yourself get arrested by the police? Was that part of the plan?"

"A 15 year old boy will receive infinitely better treatment than an 18 year old girl in these parts, which you look like by the way. It was only a matter of common sense." Dutch answered selflessly.

Aden was the next to be on the receiving end of her glare. The blond boy raised his hands submissively. "Hey, don't look at me. I was working out our escape route."

She pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, her eyes closed shut. "I'm no longer the girl that has memory flashbacks when ever my pain threshold crosses a certain level from two years ago. I can take care of myself you know." She said as her eyes slowly slid open once again, her anger already replaced by annoyed yet loving gratitude. She favoured him with a grateful smile.

"Still, for what it's worth, thanks."

Dutch chuckled. "It's what we do."

* * *

><p>Memory end<p>

Nora chuckled. "And that's why I love him."

Vale blinked as she wiped the last traces of the memory movie from her mind. The entity wiped her eyes as residual imagery from the past event clung to her eyesight.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while. Actually touching a memory is a lot different from being given entry into one. It should leave residual images for a while. It'll fade away soon." Nora continued as she pulled herself off the rough deck and looked up at the star-studded night sky.

She turned back to the young girl still lying on the metal deck, her eyes twinkling like the sky above. "But now you know about his most prevalent flaw and yet... His most noticeable strength. His tendency to shoulder what is needed to help others, even to the point of death. It is both a noble and naive principle that he has." Her hands clasped behind her back and a proud yet melancholic smile graced her face.

Vale looked at the image of the young woman and realized something. From the smile on her face to what she knew in the past, Nora seemed to be...no...was the maternal figure in Dutch's life. Somehow, this woman, who fought with them throughout all their hardships, who had grown together with them, had graduated from simply being bonded by blood, to a mother to the two males in their little group. She took care of them in her own special way and to that, they accepted her unconsciously as their closest female companion, like a pair of sons trusting their mother completely.

At that moment, Vale caught a glimpse of just how deep, how in-depth the bonds between the three of them really were. The bonds they shared were far more different from the bond she shared with Dutch and yet...it was just as strong, just as rigid. No, she could say with some thought, in fact it was even stronger than hers, one that reached deep into their personalities and held them together. The three were joined together in ways she could barely understand or ever reach.

It put her into perspective. She was a person joining this incredibly unique clique and she felt intensely privileged to do so.

'This must be what any one in love must feel.' She thought to herself. But there was something else that bugged her. Nora's smile indicated something painful.

"You used him." The young girl said. It was not an accusation, just a statement of fact.

Nora's melancholic smile turned anguished. "In our line of work, how could I not? I had to. And yet, he forgives me...all the time. He always waved it off and said that I had the best reasons at heart." She laughed bitterly. "Oh, the naivety."

Vale stayed silent. These young soldiers needed each other, it was obvious. It's was the only way they could have survived the years of training and killing together without losing their minds. But each came away with a residual echoes of what they had been through and it would haunt them forever.

Nora sighed as she closed the door on her emotions, her anguished face returning to one less negative. She gave Vale a smile.

"But that's enough from me. You have been a good student today. I think we can call it a day eh?" She said before opening a portal.

"This should lead back to the control room. Go on back and reflect on what happened. There are lessons you can learn from it. Also, have a good rest. You'll need it." She finished. Vale gave her an uneasy look before getting up and limping towards the portal. At the threshold, she stopped and looked back at Nora.

"Go on." The brunette urged, smiling. Vale closed her eyes as she entered the portal, the rip in reality closing with a noiseless sigh.

The young woman stood alone on the deck as rain started to pip pap on the metal deck. Soon, it roared, drenching her in the deluge.

Tears traced the contours of her face as though a salty river.

* * *

><p>Forest of Magic<p>

Afternoon

Twigs crunched under Dutch's boots as he followed Tenma through the dense undergrowth of the forest. Around him, mushrooms sprouted in profusion, consuming the dead of the forest to bring forth new life.

In the skies above, the clouds rumbled uneasily, as if anticipating the imminent release of their watery cargo. Dutch could literally feel the forest reacting to the sound, the ambient sounds of the different animals slowly dying down as they prepared for the oncoming deluge.

And yet here he was, moving deeper into the forest, following the direction of a beautiful, magical woman whom he had insulted to divert her attention elsewhere from a sensitive subject. If Dutch could find words to describe his current situation, he would call it a fairy tale adventure, the type which could dangerous pretty quickly.

He followed the owner of the silver mane in front of him as she skillfully moved through the forest as though it were second nature to her. Even though he could see that she was smarting from his earlier veiled insult, Dutch could also clearly see that she was ecstatic about the battle ahead.

Heck, she was positively trembling from excitement, from what he could see from behind.

Still, as he scanned her shapely figure from the back, Dutch wondered what Tenma was to him. He definitely felt something for her but he was very much confused indeed about what that meant.

He wouldn't call it love, not yet anyway. After feeling what he could only describe as true love for his cute little soulmate, he wasn't ready to simply label this as the same. And yet, he could never write it off. There was something there, he just didn't know what.

Dutch entertained the possibility of it being love. If it was true, then Tenma would be the woman to balance his girl. He softly chuckled. A woman in his life who cared deeply for him, now where had he had that before?

Ah yes, a certain young perverted brunette who at a moment's notice, could turn into a killer. Just like him.

But not like this. He was well and truly scared about what might come in the later days. Him, her, the three of them, were already connected by a bond, no matter how weak it was. How that bond developed was something he couldn't predict and therefore couldn't prepare for.

As Tenma pushed her way through the undergrowth, she fought down the urge to giggle. Yes, you heard her right, giggle.

The upcoming fight aside, she was more than happy about the simple fact that she would be fighting Dutch. That human! She could finally see him take her on for herself!

A good measure of a man is the way he fights. She could finally judge him herself.

As they continued along their course, they came upon a clearing in the deep forest. Grass and small, delicate flowers formed a verdant carpet, while overhead, broad leaves blocked the sky, the theoretically impossibly wide tree tops spreading out to cover over the entire clearing, allowing only dappled sunlight to grace the forest floor. Not that there was much light in the first place. The dark rumbling clouds overhead took care of that.

The reduced light and the dense tree layer overhead served to bathe the forest in a kind of muted light, bright enough to see while dark enough to disappear into if one so wanted.

Of course, to the two inside the clearing, it was an impossible idea to hide. Each had the ability to see better than any normal human. Each had the power to fight better.

As they both stopped in the clearing, Dutch leaned back against a tree, his eyes anticipating what was about to happen, attempting to strategize before a battle had even begun. Silently, he phased and dropped a claymore, the convex device facing Tenma.

"So how do we do this?" He inquired as the vault crystal glowed in anticipation.

Tenma silently gripped the hilt of her katana. Soundlessly, she pulled it out and slashed around in a circle, sending a wind blade towards Dutch.

The force of disturbed air tore its way through the open space, it's image a blur as it ripped it's way towards its target.. Him. Micro-tornados formed in its wake, the leaves on the ground spiralling in the wind, lifted by the passing air.

The blade smashed into its target, tearing its way through the tough outer skin to slice through the softer material underneath. Liquid erupted in a spray of vapor, seperated by the force of the strike and condensed by it to splatter messily upon the sturdy stump.

Her target, however, was unharmed.

Dutch grinned as he leaned against the tree. The aftermath of the strike rained around him, his cover managing to survive the brunt of the hit. White liquid traveled down the side of the tree, staining the bark.

'Hmm, rubber. Interesting.' He noted before bringing up his carbine and firing off a burst. The blue bolts of energy zipped back across the clearing, the energy clawing their way to their youkai target.

Tenma simply regarded the oncoming bolts with a hint of boredom. This battle had just started. It was time for her to kick it up a notch.

Gathering up long unused skills, Tenma called up her power. She had vast experience with her innate ability, simple wind blades were a mere fraction of what she knew and had in her arsenal. By most Karasu tengu standards, she would be a powerhouse enemy, impossible to defeat without some sort of equalizer.

Every Karasu tengu knew how to fly faster with the help of their ability. It was the first thing taught to them. Tenma however perfected her technique beyond what was normal. She had honed her ability,

She could not only fly faster, she could move faster too.

With a burst of air, she calmly sidestepped the dammaku, her silver hair flowing with the movement. She stared back at her human opponent, his face a mix of curiosity and trepidation at her revealed ability. Her deep red eyes beckoned for the soldier to step up his game, a mocking smile curled at her lips.

Come on, you can do better than that. She silently taunted.

Dutch answered that with a dip of his head, his eyes accepting the challenge. With a gesture, he phased his grenade launcher into existence and slung his rifle, his right hand encased in the wrist blades armor.

Aiming with his left hand, Dutch brought the iron sight of the launcher squarely on Tenma. The tengu looked at the weapon with boredom. That weapon was slow compared to the bolts he fired earlier. She could easily dodge it. She already was, the air around her feet primed to launch her away. At best, she could be pushed around by the shockwave but nothing that would actually hurt her.

Dutch simply smiled as he pulled the trigger. With a blast of propellent, the grenade left the weapon, speeding towards its tengu target.

Tenma retaliated to the attack, rushing forward with the boost from her powers. Wind howled as she sped closer to him.

Just as Dutch planned.

Bringing up his wrist blades, Dutch aimed for the explosive behind him. He stepped aside gracefully, like a toreador before a bull, now was the time to reveal his ruse to Tenma. With a satisfied smirk, he fired off a scarlet strike, the red laser striking the ground and setting off the mine.

_BOOM!_

The shockwave from the directed explosion spread out, unbalancing Tenma. The tengu stumbled from the unexpected focused blast, unable to summon her wind powers to help her movement. Danmaku pallets pelted her skin but she held on against the painful onslaught.

Dutch took his chance, aiming his wrist to unleash another scarlet strike. But Tenma spotted the movement and brought up her katana to counter, the blade slashing off another wind blade. Dutch moved out of his position as the force of disturbed air rippled past him.

Discarding ranged combat, He switched to close combat, calling up his pistol on his left hand as he charged off at Tenma. The youkai lord righted herself as she raised her sword to meet his charge.

_Clang!_

Metal clashed against metal. Both combatants stared into each other's eyes as their strength pushed against each other. A stalemate occurred as both sides conversed their strength, knowing fully well that the battle would last for far longer.

Dutch broke up the stalemate by bringing up his pistol in his other hand and aiming for Tenma's knee. The tengu spotted the movement and jumped back, using a burst of air to further her distance while destabilizing Dutch at the same time.

Both sides righted themselves from their respective states before moving back into their Battle stance. Tenma's eyes were awash with part approval and part amusement over the dirty tactic Dutch had used. Dutch simply shrugged in his stance, knowing full well what really mattered in this fight.

Tenma chuckled at the silent sentiment. Spreading her wings, she took off, her grand glossy black wings sending off a gust of wind that stirred up the leaves. Dutch fired off his pistol, the bolts of energy streaked past Tenma, some almost striking her.

As his opponent disappeared into the trees, Dutch grinned. Even with the camouflage of the treetops, She would still have to expose herself if she wanted to actually get a shot off.

That was when a tornado brought itself into existence before him. Slowly, the air gathered around a spot in the clearing, the sound of the wind picking up cut through the small glade as the air spiralled faster in turn. A tornado was born, howling for Dutch in its fury. He regarded the vortex of air with an impressed smile mixed with fear. She wouldn't even need to show herself to get him it seemed. Not only that, it had to have taken some serious skill to have performed this sort of feat.

"That's not fair." He complained as he turned around and ran for his life. The tornado dipped towards him as it spun it way across the forest floor, shooting out shreds of leaves as they were sucked in and cut apart by the wind blades contained within the vortex.

Dutch ducked a low branch as the vortex swirled closer and closer. As he ran, the unfortunate branch he had ducked under earlier was shredded as it got swallowed by the spiralling wind, a stump was the only remnant of it's existence aside from the shreds of wood now flying around like shrapnel.

Dutch instinctively ducked as a shard of wood sped up to terminal velocity impaled itself in the tree in front of him, sinking so deep only the tip of it stuck out. He used the tree as a diverter, grabbing it with his hand and spinning to the right. The tornado followed him, changing its course as it steered itself around the tree.

Dutch smiled as he analyzed the moving air. Even with the sound of the air shrieking around him, he could barely hear the sound of footwear striking the branches of the treetops above him. The light but distinctive 'thunk!' sound told him approximately where his opponent was standing.

'She must have to keep close to the vortex if she wants to keep controlling it.' He realized. Armed with that knowledge, he phased out a flash bang but stopped himself from pulling the pin as he put the final touches to a very quickly conceived plan.

He pulled the pin of the flash bang and at the same time, reloaded and aimed his grenade launcher at the base of the tornado. With a pull of the trigger, the grenade was sent flying, two very different forces of destruction heading for each other.

Too late, Tenma realised what Dutch was planning. The tornado dipped in the other direction as it tried to escape the explosive. But the grenade was faster, landing at the base of the vortex and upon impact, detonated in a blast of energy.

_BOOM!_

The resulting shockwave cancelled the tornado, it's accumulated air forced away by the power of the explosion. With his other hand, Dutch threw his already primed grenade into the trees, his wrist blades ready to attack at a moment's notice.

In the trees, Tenma watched the smoke of the explosion sorrounded her. She was impressed by the human's quick thinking, using the force of his explosive weapon to dissipate her wind blade vortex. Yet she could somehow feel that even with all that he could muster, she would defeat him. Somehow, she felt that it was fated to happen.

Then a blue canister flew into the trees meters away from her. As Tenma recognized the blue weapon, it detonated in a bright flash.

_Bang!_

Stunned, she lost her balance and fell out of the tree. Luckily, karasu tengu were trained to instinctively know how to keep track of up and down, even when blinded, she righted herself just before she landed, her eyesight and hearing slowly recovering from the barrage of damage.

Stumbling in place the blinded karasu tried to blink away the white flash that dominated her eyesight. Slowly, it faded away, the forest creeping back to its normal dimness.

It would take too long.

Dutch took the chance, rushing in with his armored fist ready to strike, his wrist blades phased away for safety. Blinded, Tenma could not see his oncoming assault. Grinning victoriously, Dutch brought his hand for a grab that would end the match.

_Stab!_

He looked in surprise at the katana now stabbing into his palm. As he looked, a sharp pain suddenly spiked in the fore mentioned appendage. Hissing in pain, he retreated, mind trying to understand how she could see that coming.

He checked his hand for any damage. Thankfully, the armor did its job and only the tip of the blade seemed to have pierced his hand, in fact, it had only managed to enter the skin. Or at least, that was the readout his eyes told him. He returned to Tenma, his weapons raised for a follow-up strike. But the tengu was still stunned from the blast and was temporarily no trouble for him.

As he scanned her recovering visage for any signs to help him understand, Dutch realized something. The smoke from the explosion earlier had already dissipated, except for a circle around Tenma, where light grey wisps of smoke seemed to simply float around, constantly moving yet never leaving the circle.

Getting curious about that circle, Dutch took a rock of the ground and flung it at Tenma, watching to see what happened. The moment the rock entered the circle, Tenma faced the projectile and slashed it away once it got into range. And with that Dutch saw it.

That circle of disturbed air was some sort of detection system, to warn her of close enemies. She was using her wind ability to create the circle, forcing the air to move around in it. When someone or something entered it, the air flowed around it and that would have allowed her to detect the offending object, giving her the chance to react to it, even if she was blind. And from this Dutch realized a few things.

First, it would be impossible to sneak up to her when she was in this circle, since she could detect everything around her. Second, this had to have taken some serious skill to have done it, since Tenma has to constantly maintain that circle of disturbed air. It would have sapped her concentration and energy and yet she seemed fine with the effort. Third and this was most important, this proved without a doubt that the beautiful silver haired woman in front of him was an absolute master of her skills.

Heck, Dutch realized that as he simply watched her get herself back up the normal functionality, he could feel a growing sense of...of... of something for her. Irritatingly enough, that was really all he could describe about this feeling. Against the bulwarked feelings for Vale in him, this felt like something different and yet tantalizingly similar.

What this meant, he truly couldn't understand.

All he could describe it as was that while his soul belonged to Vale, nestled within this was a small growing feeling for the woman in front of him. It whispered the promise of something that could be the equivalent to what he felt for Vale and yet what could be also an inferior feeling to that.

Him and Vale were like two kindred souls. He knew her wants and she knew his. The very nature of their bond meant that their minds were intertwined so as their thoughts. He could literally answer to her every desire. Yet with Tenma, it was a whole different story. He could only describe the feeling he had as a malleable one, one that he could mould into whatever he so wished.

Marveling at this new feeling with a mixture of awe and fear, Dutch decided to keep this quiet. Of all the things he kept, this would be the most important of all to him. To reveal this now would only bring trouble to the three of them.

As he closed down that line of thought, the feeling of a blade against his neck surfaced. Dutch blinked to see Tenma standing in front of him, her weapon tip against his neck, a smile on her face.

Is this the best you can do? She silently asked.

Dutch answered that question with a scarlet strike, the energy exploding against the base of the blade. Tenma's weapon deflected away from his neck, the tip nicking the topmost layer of skin away. It continued, it's momentum wrenching it out of its owner grasp and flying into the trees.

Now disarmed, Tenma jumped away from Dutch, her mind quickly looking for a way to salvage this sudden change of situation. But Dutch wouldn't let her have the chance.

With a smirking growl, he went for the strike again, his diamond knife this time the weapon of choice. The knife phased into his moving hand, it's grey figure almost blending into the dim light of the forest. It glinted as it crossed one of the streams of light.

Tenma saw the knife approaching. Knowing fully well what she needed do, she let Dutch get close to her, leaving his defense open in the process of this attack. When he was close enough, she struck, using a trick that only she knew.

Dutch saw the oncoming scabbard with a hint of surprise. Tenma must be really out of ideas if she was using her scabbard as a weapon. He moved to dodge appropriately, twisting his body and face to avoid the blunt object by centimeters. But he realized it was not enough as Tenma corrected her slash to compensate for his movement. To avoid would be to break his attack completely. Instead, he braced for the hit, trusting that he could take the hit and continue his attack.

Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.

Before the scabbard actually grazed him, Dutch suddenly felt a cutting pain on the side of his face. A long thin line slashed down his neck, from hairline to chin. Surprised, Dutch reacted instinctively, throwing himself away from the weapon. He rolled on his side before using his hands to push himself back up, turning to face Tenma.

Now how did she do that?

As she shifted her weapon, Tenma grinned inwardly. Dutch was clearly confused by the sudden attack. Taking the advantage, she rushed in, her weapon raised for a diagonal downward slash.

Her opponent took the attack head on. With a muttered curse, he caught the attack with his knife, the two weapons meeting each other. Yet as he focused closely on the scabbard, he realized that his weapon was not actually touching the scabbard but stopped a centimeter from it.

The feeling of moving air next to his hand gave him the answer. Encasing the length of the scabbard was a wind blade, positioned so that it mirrored the weapon the scabbard actually sheathed. It was almost invisible to see, only the faint blurring that even Dutch had trouble spotting indicating it's existence.

It's moving edge meant that it had a cutting area throughout the entire scabbard, not just its edge. This turned the scabbard from a simple sheath to a weapon that was more dangerous that the weapon it held. Dutch could see why Tenma would keep this weapon until she had no other choice. With it's lethality, it could surprise her opponents and provide an advantage for her.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you? I think most youkai wouldn't be able to reach the same level of lethality you have, not counting just skill of course. But then, it does reflect your position." He said, the first spoken words in the fight.

Tenma froze.

That was when he saw her eyes change and heard her breath sharpen.

* * *

><p>Tenma looked at Dutch, her enhanced scabbard clenched tightly in her hands. She could see the realization in his eyes as he deciphered the mystery of her weapon. She smiled inwardly. He was the first to see her technique and yet he concluded its workings so quickly. It cemented his figure in her mind as master fighter, being so able to quickly understand his enemy.<p>

Yet as she looked back at what had occurred, Tenma realized a worrying trend. In all her attacks, she realized, she had been unconsciously using lethal ones. The wind blade she first threw at him would have sliced into him and probably killed him. The vortex she launched at him would have ripped him to shreds. It certainly destroyed the tree branch. As just now, she realized, she was aiming to kill him with every strike.

In fact, earlier when she held her katana to his neck, she had to fight the urge to thrust it in. She stifled a shudder at the thought of that happening. The human mattered to her and if she hurt him...

And yet her body reacted to him like all the humans she fought in the past. The urge to kill him flowed through her veins and she had to control herself lest she actually answered to it.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you? I think most youkai wouldn't be able to reach the same level of lethality you have, not counting just skill of course. But then, it does reflect your position." Her opponent said.

Tenma froze. Those words...If Dutch had any idea of the coincidence of what he had just said...or the significance...

"You will make an ideal opponent for me, tengu." Came the completed sentence from her memory.

And she was taken from the forest to a different one, a forest of emerald moss, broad leafed undergrowth, ancient oaks, rugged cedars and towering firs. Before her stood a man, his armor blood red, some painted, some real. Her people lay on the ground, bleeding but still alive.

"I have waited so long for one of you to appear. Come, look at the artwork of my blade. I had time to perfect it." He said, before slashing a nick into a Hanataka, the delirious tengu moaning from the pain.

Tenma gripped her katana. This man, he would die today. Even if she had to spend her own life.

She blasted off, using her wind to accelerate quickly. With a slash of her weapon, she struck, her weapon whistling through the air.

_Clang!_

Their weapons collided. The man laughed as their weapons screeched against each other.

"As expected of a leader of the tengu! But you cannot hope to match against the majesty of one of His nobles. Lord Tsukiyomi watches over me!" The man haughtily proclaimed.

Tenma gritted her teeth. "Your people defeated the army 50 years ago! What are you doing here!" She shouted.

The lunarian grinned. "Yes we defeated you! That is why it is our time to take back the land from you! Rid this world of the impurities!"

Tenma snarled. "Impossible! You are simply just one man! You cannot hope to accomplish such a deluded dream!"

Her opponent simply snickered arrogantly. "You think I don't know that? I am simply the herald of the purity to come. My people simply await my message. Look well, youkai, for you are standing in magic that you simply cannot comprehend."

Tenma eyed the battlefield. With the hints her opponent gave her, she now saw the circle she was standing in, her people placed in symmetrical points, each one in a smaller circle with symbols drawn in them.

"Their insignificant lives will be the core of a spell that will tear the barriers between earth and moon. You should be honored, tengu. You stand in the gateway of purity to your world." The lunarian finished. With that, he disengaged his sword, backing away from her.

"Still, before I fulfill my purpose, I will indulge in your futile fighting. Be thankful, youkai. You will get to taste the purity of my blade." He announced as he raised his blade, beckoning for her to meet his challenge.

She simply snarled before charging in for the attack.

* * *

><p>"Teri, stop!" Dutch yelled as he rolled out of her slash.<p>

The Karasu tengu ignored his cry as she spun after him, slashing off a wind blade. The force of air roared past him, grass split in half in its aftermath. Dutch cursed as he fired off a scarlet strike, his mind running at the sudden escalation.

Tenma dodged the laser, the air howling as it answered her power. She charged in again, her ability giving her a speed advantage that Dutch had trouble catching up to.

He countered her slash with his wrist blades, swapping his knife for his pistol. Halting his fire, he stared at the tengu who was suddenly trying to kill him.

"Teri!" He called out again as they struggled with each other, their weapons grinding. The tengu simply growled in return, her eyes filled with the primal urge to kill. Dutch also noticed something else, hidden behind the rage filled eyes.

Her eyes were not looking at him, not directly. It was like she was peering at a figure instead, her gaze occupied by it's vagueness, not registering any particular features. Dutch could only remember a few occasions where something like that had happened.

'Memory.' Came the answer in his head. His opponent was entrapped inside a memory. While he did not know what had triggered it, Dutch knew one thing. If he couldn't wake her, nothing else would, not until she had concluded the memory. It appeared to be killing him, at the moment.

He broke off the attack, jumping back while throwing out a phased in flash bang. Tenma instinctively slashed at the object, giving Dutch time to get away from her.

He needed to snap her out of it but there lay the crux of the problem. All of his options ended with his beating her and frankly, he did not see how that could be done. She was faster, could fly and had the stamina level to easily outrun him. Factor in her abilities and he was better off trying something drastic.

As he dodged a spray of white danmaku from her, the bright bolts bursting off a clump of trees, Dutch phased in his carbine. If he could get at least a shot in, he could probably disrupt her memory long enough for him to snap her out of it.

'When all else fails, shock therapy.' He thought to himself as he sent burst after burst at his opponent. She dodged the energy, moving to pick up her weapon on the ground before flying up and disappearing into the trees.

Dutch changed to his knife, careful to watch for any signs of her. Thunder rumbled overhead, a sign of things to come. The sound of wood being struck made him roll out of his position, expecting an attack from above.

Tenma fulfilled his expectation with perfect timing. With a yell, she struck down, her katana sinking into his now, vacated spot. Snarling at the miss, she swung with her other weapon, her wind blade augmented scabbard slashing for him. By then, he had rolled out of her reach and had risen onto his feet, his vault crystal pulsing with energy.

He fired off another laser but Tenma dodged it, curving her body to graze the laser by centimeters. She charged into the assault, her two weapons slashing for him.

Dutch avoided the weapons, backing away from her. He really needed to break through to her.

"Tenma! It's me!" He shouted, foregoing whatever security measure he told himself he should keep. They were alone anyway and using her actual name should help in breaking the memory.

She froze. As she looked at the lunarian before her, she could distinctively hear someone call her name. Yet she couldn't see anyone else. Shaking her head to clear it, she focused her attention back on her opponent, his face a mask of sickening superiority.

With a wordless yell, she resumed her assault.

Dutch ducked the two blades. Calling her name definitely had had an effect on her but he needed something stronger. He needed something that could help him break the illusion on her mind. Something that could connect him to her.

As he jumped away from her, he felt something bounce in his pocket. A light weight settled in his pocket as he recalled it's content. He reached for it, his hand deftly unbuttoning the pocket.

Tenma stopped him from reaching inside as she slashed off a pair of wind blades after him, one after the other. Dutch ducked behind a trees as the force of air ripped off layers of bark from the tree, the wood splintering from the double hit.

Now provided with cover, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the seal, phasing in his pistol in his other hand just in case. The gold feather gleamed dully as it caught a beam of one of the small points of light that pierced the canopy, the light highlighting the writing on it. Dutch looked at it before closing his fist around it, touching his fist against his forehead.

It would have to do.

With a roll, he came out of his cover, snapping off shots with rapid succession. Tenma blurred out of his shots with effortless skill, the air whooshing with each movement.

Having fired enough shots to put some distance between him and her, Dutch opened his fist, the gold a dull yellow against the dim light of the forest.

Tenma froze at the sight. As she looked at the object in the hand of the man in front of her, her world started to flicker. The burning forest she was in flickered as a dimmer forest seemed to struggle to manifest itself, the man in front of her morped into that of Dutch. As her mind struggled with the images, Tenma looked at the changing man in front of her. That sickening face kept swapping with Dutch's fearful one.

As her mind was about to break free of her self-imposed illusion, another sentence uttered from the man in front of her.

"Weak. So so weak. When we have taken over, I think I shall start with the children. Teach them their true place. Makes it so much easier to crush your spirit." He said as he flicked away blood from his weapon.

Tenma roared primally as she raised her katana, discarding her scabbard to hold her weapon with two hands. Her weapon sped as she stabbed it forward.

Dutch cursed as he backed onto a tree. With nowhere to move, he raised his hands to protect himself as he looked straight into Tenma's eyes and shouted his last hope.

"Tenma! It's me!"

He could see her return to the present, the focusing of her eyes that showed the memory releasing her. Yet she was too fast and too close to realize what she was doing.

_Stab!_


	34. Bad bonding techniques

I'M BACKKKKKKKKK!*dodges flying books*

Heh heh, hey there guys. Sorry for the horrendously long cropped up at home and stuff happened to give you this LONGGGGGG wait.

As you may or may not know, i started another series, this time in the infinite denseness fandom. Rest assured that this will still be my priority and i will not forget it. EVER!

And quickly before i forget, I apologize to **Ban3** for forgetting to mention his awesome work the last chapter. I shall repent by thanking him twice for his hard work.

Thank you.

THANK YOU!

Now enjoy the show and if things crop up that made you wince, well, you know where to rip me a new one.

* * *

><p><em>"Aye, that woman is stunning and a good target but she has those two attack dogs around her. She could likely castrate you with her bare words. Don't go for it."<em>

-Transcript recorded between two employees, Traxus Office of Physics, regarding East Asia Branch Office of Physics Chief Presiding Director Nora Murray.

Vault

Control room

Vale stumbled clumsily as she exited the portal. While time was not an issue in the vault, the effect of hours of constant combat still took its toll. She was trembling, her body exhausted from the fights.

Yet, even as she stood, her muscles aching and wobbly, she could feel an exhilaration within her. Her body still ran on the last influx of adrenaline, an almost jittery excitement coursing through her. It was this feeling that kept her on her feet as she slowly made her way to the bedroom, her feet skittering on the vague floor.

Inside, she simply made her way to the bed and flopped on top of it, her clothing still damp with salt water. There, she simply stared at the ceiling, wondering about everything that had transpired.

"You all but own him."

She blinked as the words surfaced in her mind. She knew Nora truly felt that way, but...but...

But she realised that she was scared.

She knew of her limitations. Dutch wanted to keep her safe but she knew that one day, she would leave the vault to see the outside world. He said that to her and she trusted in his judgement.

She was afraid however, afraid that she could lose him before then. A lot could happen in a day and she could not shake the feeling that before long, Dutch would be in more danger than at any other time in the world. The thought of losing him, of his weave being completed...

She let out an involuntary sob. She still remembered the sacrifice Dutch had to make to get to her. She knew that if needed, he would do it all over again. The thought of it simply shook her.

"Please, Dako, be safe and come back." She whispered. She contemplated calling for him but perished the thought. She trusted him. He would return to her. With that, she drifted off to sleep, her mind too exhausted to come up with a dream. All the better though, her dreams, she felt, wouldn't be very pleasant.

As she slept, her hand crept over to the other side of the bed. It lay there, open, waiting...

Lonely.

* * *

><p>Forest of magic<p>

Blood coursed along the silvery blade as gravity pulled the red liquid down it's length, dripping as it flowed.

Short ragged gasps tore themselves free from her, from the Tengu Lord who stared at Dutch with uncomprehending eyes. Her eyes flitted to his face, then darted rapidly to her weapon, sunk deep into the tree behind him. They tracked the blade along its length, the sharp edge biting into his neck, the lightest of cuts on his skin.

Dutch stared into her eyes, the realization that he wasn't dead coursing through him. He had kept his eyes open, wanting to at least see into the eyes of his would be killer for one last time, but now, he simply stared into their currently foggy depths, peering into the woman before him.

He saw Tenma's eyes widen. The Karasu tengu stumbled back, releasing her hold on her weapon with trembling hands as she looked at the scene before her with fearful eyes.

"No...no...no...no..." She mumbled as her eyes started to fill with regret, her words catching in her throat as she sniffled. The sight of the powerful tengu in tears forced Dutch to raise his hands, his fingers stretched out to reach her.

"Ten..."

"Stop!" She screamed, backing away from him. Her whole body shook as she looked at him with horrified eyes as blood streamed down his neck, her weapon next to it a reminder.

'I did this.'

"I'm...I'm sorry." She whispered as she turned and ran. Away from him, away from her actions. Her silver mane whipped in the air as it disappeared into the dimness of the trees.

Dutch grunted as he felt the cut on his neck flare with pain. Stumbling away from the weapon imbedded in the tree, he gingerly placed his hand to feel the wound. Red stained his skin but it was light, not the fatal flow that would signify the piercing of an artery.

Still, he could feel the forest stir around him. Blood was in the air and no rain would ever deter youkai from the scent of human blood. He had to get out of the forest before the feral youkai found him.

Yet the pain of the cut reminded him of his tengu companion. He had to go after her, before she did something that both would regret. She was important to Gensokyian stability and he would be damned before he let something happen to her because of him.

In the darkened trees, he could hear the rumbling of a far off growl. Something had caught onto his scent.

He had to think and think fast.

Interestingly, it was her weapon that gave him her answer. He spied her scabbard in the ground and realized that she had run off without any weapon. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the katana and ripped it out of the tree, sheathing it in the scabbard that he picked up a few seconds later.

Even as the growls grew in number and volume, Dutch took off after Tenma, following the signs of her passage deeper into the forest. Still gritting his teeth, he added his own voice to the sounds echoing through the forest.

"What sort of fighter leaves her weapon and runs off into the forest!"

* * *

><p>Yukari watched the human make his way after the tengu woman, fighting his way though the undergrowth. A sly smile graced her lips as she contemplated the effects of the relationship between the two.<p>

Frankly, it was a surprise. To believe that two very different beings could have such feelings for each other. It wasn't love, Yukari was sure through. Despite the mistakes some people made about their relationship, she herself was sure that what they had wasn't love.

Yukari giggled. If Tenma realized what she had for Dutch wasn't love but something a bit more juvenile, things would finally settle into their proper place. The vault entity owned him and no one else could take that away.

As she watched Dutch's journey through the forest, a rogue gap silently tore reality apart nearby. While it seemed nothing had come through the gap, the very existance of this oddity caused Yukari to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

It seemed that the Lunarians were accelerating their plans. Their hand had been played. It was time for her to show hers.

She sighed as her mind sailed back through a sea of memories. To think all of this had come about because of her efforts to keep Gensokyo stable in its infant years...

She returned to watching Dutch, her voice echoing throughout the realm of nothingness.

"It's time for you to come into play."

* * *

><p>Forest of magic<p>

Dutch snarled as he crashed through a dense wall of vines. Swinging the katana in his hand, he sliced through the stubborn plant growth, the weapon effortlessly cutting apart the obstacles.

He wondered how Tenma had made her way through the forest without disturbing much. Just when he would enter places where everything seemed to be untouched, there would always be a hint of her passage, a glossy black feather, a thread of silver or fabric, to guide his way.

Still, he worried that she would journey deeper and deeper into the forest to a point where he wouldn't be able to follow. Not to mention the rumbling of the clouds overhead that were increasing in number and the stirring of the forest around him. Already, he had had to scare off a group of feral youkai, appearing to be brothers of the mountain youkai, by firing off his grenade launcher.

No doubt they would be able to find their recently lost confidence soon enough. He needed to find Tenma as fast as possible and get out. Not that the forest was helping him at all.

As he fought his way through yet another wall of plants, the sound of sniffling caught his attention. Working faster, he cut his way to the source of the sound, his actions a frenzied blur.

"Tenma?"

The sound cut off. Carefully, Dutch inched his way to the source, sheathing the katana, the blade entering with a whisper of steel on leather. The ground cut off into a drop in front of him but rising from it, a single tree had found a way to clasp onto the very edge.

On top of a low lying tree branch, low enough for him to walk onto from where he was standing, sat Tenma. Her face had the sheen of tears hurriedly wiped, her eyes reddened with water shed moments before. She stared at him with fearful eyes, both for herself and him.

"What are you..." She whispered, her voice trailing off as her guilty heart drew up another wave of sorrow, cutting off her words with a choking sob..

Dutch smiled comfortingly. "You forgot your weapon." He said as he offered said item to her, his voice a calming tone.

Tenma took the weapon, struggling a smile. "Thank you." She answered, returning his smile with her own, forcing aside the emotion on her face.

The two lapsed into silence as the sound of thunder rumbled overhead again.

"What happened.." Dutch started.

"...was my fault." His opposite interrupted.

As he sighed, the wall holding back the tengu's emotions collapsed, allowing all of her feelings to gush out.

"When I fought, I - I was trying to kill you. Every single attack, every movement, all of it was to kill you." She whispered, shuddering at her words.

"I can't be close to you. What if I truly answered that urge? Oh gods..." She breathed out as she thought of her words. Her eyes closed as she hugged herself.

Dutch sighed again. Stepping onto the tree branch, the wood creaking lightly under the added weight, he moved quickly, before she could do anything, and walked up to her.

Taking her hand, he placed it slowly around his neck, the pressure drawing out another stream of blood that slowly flowed over her pale hands, staining the skin blood red.

Tenma looked on with surprise and then fear as she looked at his action. Unconsciously, her hand almost squeezed, but she stopped the movement, letting out quick gasps at what she had almost done again.

"See, I'm not dead. Sure, it hurt a tad, but I'm not dead." Dutch quipped cheerfully even though they both knew what had just happened. Taking her other hand, he placed it on his neck as well, both hands wrapped around it, a calm smile on his face.

Just the amount of trust that the man placed on her made her tears run again. He was willing to put his life on the line just to show her what he felt. She could feel it in her hands, the throb of his heartbeat through the blood vessels in his neck.

Tenma resisted the urge to plunge in, to rip the life out of the man in front of her. With a fearful sniffle, she looked into Dutch's eyes, pleading with him for some sort of guidance.

Search yourself. His eyes answered. Until then, my life is yours. Hold it for as long as you want.

Tenma took his advice, with a whimper, and looked inside herself, drawing strength from the throbbing in her hand, the urge to kill becoming easier to suppress the longer she held his neck.

As she looked inside, her search zoomed in on one part of her that was inside all youkai. Being the magically sensitive beings that they were, youkai used this sensitivity to learn about their counterparts. That was one of the main ways that Gensokyians distinguished each different form of youkai from the other. Despite their humanoid appearances, each species had their own 'taste' of magic and humans were no different.

While she knew this instinctively, a part of it made Tenma realize something, something that had developed from centuries of dealing with humans. Her body, casting aside all identity of the man before reacted according to what it could feel.

All because the person opposite her was human.

All of the times she had fought humans, it was to kill, to protect her people from their evil. Because of this experience, her body reacted to this new human with the exact same reaction.

Enemy. A true enemy, one whose life would be the only answer.

The urge to take his life was a bright flame but it was instinctive, not conscious. All because her body was acting accordingly to what it knew about humans.

Now armed with that knowledge, she allowed reality to reasert itself. Her breathing was as calm as the man whose life she still held in her hands as she looked at him with echoing feelings.

"You have your answer." Dutch nodded casually as he assessed their current situation.

"How did you guess?" She asked him.

Dutch gave her another smile. "I didn't. I just knew that I could trust you."

Tenma's breath caught in her throat. He bet his life on her. That was something that she couldn't believe in.

"Why? We are so different." She whispered. She would have continued except Dutch then silenced her with a bloodstained finger to her lips.

"What I see before me is a beautiful woman, proficient in the matters of war and peace. She is capable, caring and exemplary in what she does. What she is plays no part here." He answered.

Tenma blushed pink to his words. "You flattering human." She mumbled as the smell from his finger caught her attention. A smell that appealed to her nature.

"That what I truly..." Dutch trailed off as he felt Tenma's tongue wrap around the finger placed in her lips. His bloodstained finger.

He dumbly watched as she worked her tongue around his hand, the red appendage cleaning every drop of blood of it. The heart pounding sensual image made him redden as he watched her clear his hand, her tongue thoroughly wiping his hand clean of every last drop.

She finally let go of his hand, her breath washing over his fingers and started on her own, cleaning off his blood. Dutch, his mind still working sluggishly, then realized that she had already taken her hands off his neck. He continued to look at her, watching her clean her own hands of his blood, her tongue moving slowly and carefully like it was some sort of delicacy.

With her hands clean, Tenma smiled slyly at the reaction of the human before her. Her eyes gleamed, as if his blood had given her power. Leaning close, she whispered into his ear, her hot breath waking him from his stupor.

"Always remember, I am first and foremost a youkai." Came her answer to his flattery.

"I'll keep that in mind." Dutch finished.

Then a growl from the forest made them both look up. The sound of a group of creatures moving through the undergrowth reached their ears, the soft sound of the wood and the plants moving a clear indicator of this group's intentions.

"We have to leave. The forest youkai can smell my blood." Dutch said as he turned around, his hands moving to summon his weapons.

That was when Tenma seized his head and neck with her hands. While Dutch let out a gasp of surprise, she whispered playfully into his ear, the possessive undertone a clear presence in her voice.

"If they can smell your blood, let me clean it off." And then her tongue danced across the skin of his neck, wiping away all the accumulated sweat and blood. Dutch uncontrollably breathed out softly, the feeling of her wet tongue just too overwhelming for words.

In the forest facing them, the collective youkai growled, as they suddenly felt a massive burst of power spreading out from the source of the blood. It was a clear warning to the feral minds of the youkai, one that they all understood. A powerful youkai had claimed the source of the blood for her own. Approach any further at your own risk.

With a frustrated rumble, they all turned and disappeared. As feral as they were, they still answered to power.

Dutch shivered as he felt Tenma's tongue lightly slide over his cut. The sounds of the forest youkai had disappeared, a worrying thought to him. Silence could only mean one thing when being hunted.

"They have gone silent. I think we should leave before they find us." He said as Tenma detached her tongue from the side of his neck. She gave him a chuckle as her hands released him.

"Oh, they have been scared away. They felt my... power." She answered, , releasing a breathe of air that made him shiver like a leaf in a shrill breeze.

"Still, we should get back before..."

_Pip pap!_ Came the sound of rain hitting the treetops. The roar of rain on leaves, rocks, everything quickly became a deafening thunder as the clouds overhead released their load in a powerful downpour, showering the lands with a massive deluge.

"...that." Dutch finished as water fell through the leaves onto their heads. Tenma smiled as she stretched her wings, the gloomy black feathers blending perfectly with the dimness, and brought one of them over Dutch's head.

He blinked at the sudden cover as Tenma smiled. "Let's head back." She agreed as they both stepped off the tree branch.

As they trudged through the forest, Dutch glanced at his companion. The woman had a gleam in her eyes that wasn't there before, an almost bright glow that managed to highlight her beauty in the contrast. Quickly looking away before she could catch him staring, he concentrated on the task of making their way back, the treacherous path through the forest helped him to keep his attention focused.

* * *

><p>Orphanage of lost dreams<p>

A young woman stood patiently outside the entrance to the orphanage, her blonde tresses dry even as she leaned against the wet wall. A parasol prevented the rain from touching her, although with her all-powerful nature, it was unnecessary had she wished it.

Dutch and Tenma emerged from the forest together. Tenma was drenched, a result of the rain, yet they both clung onto each other as they made their way out.

At the sight of the woman though, they both tensed up. The source of their alarm simply smiled knowingly as she regarded the both of them.

"Oh don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It's too good to interrupt~" Yukari sang as she stood up. Her purple-white dress gently swished in the wind, itself also seemingly immune to the water pelting down around them.

"Why are you here?" Tenma growled as her hand inched toward her weapon.

Yukari adopted a strangely serious smile as she pulled a small cylindrical object from a gap.

"He would know." She said as she threw the object casually to Dutch. The human plucked the weapon from mid air and examined the object, his expression darkening the longer he looked at it.

"It's still warm. You found this here, in Gensokyo?" He questioned Yukari as he moved the weapon around to examine it better.

"Of course. Do you know what this is?" The youkai sage shot back.

"Korean K167 20mm high explosive air burst grenade casing. Judging from the configuration on its casing, I say this was fired from a Daewoo K11 Dual caliber air burst weapon, also Korean. A 20mm multi shot grenade launcher system coupled with a 5.56mm automatic rifle, with an electronic firing control unit to ensure that the grenade does maximum damage when detonated. This shouldn't be here." He announced.

Yukari nodded. "Any deduction you can make from this?"

"Substantial force, numbers unknown but possessing some sort of supply system, meaning at the very least a small man organization. A trained force, since it takes training to use this weapon. Extremely dangerous and versatile, even a squad size force equipped with this can do a lot of damage against most targets, no matter where they are. They must have some sort of powerful magic on their side, since to acquire this would need some very advanced power to get this across the great barrier. Lunarian backers perhaps?" He asked as he gave her an inquiring look.

Yukari smiled at all of his deductions. "And motivated to subvert Gensokyo."

"I see. I assume that with this, I have an assignment of sorts?" Dutch asked as he set the grenade in his pocket.

Yukari chuckled. "Think of it as more of way to make your journey a bit more exciting."

"With the downside of this land plunged into chaos if I fail? Seems more stressful than exciting. Do you have a lighter I can borrow?" He asked as he phased out his diamond knife.

Yukari gapped in the requested object and threw it to Duch. The human again snatched it out of the air and lit it, pressing it against the base of the blade. Somehow, like magic, the steel coating of the blade seemed to fade away, revealing the black diamond underneath. The colored carbon seemed to erase light, an impossible darkness that didn't just exist, it consumed, like a blade shaped black hole in his hands. He phased away the weapon and passed the lighter back to Yukari.

"Neat trick." Yukari noted as she returned the lighter to where it had come from.

"Practicality. Why not simply call out the incident solvers to address this issue?" He questioned.

"Too dangerous. These opponents are not the kind to be courteous. By the time a challenge was issued, they would have already fired. Gensokyian balance cannot be wasted on such a simple meager opponent. I need this done quietly. Any chaos would be to our opponent's gain."

"So you're sending the one person you know who has experience in this sort of thing. Your newly appointed expendable troubleshooter, as I shall assume. All completely without any prior warning what so ever." He described.

"Ah but would you say no even if I told you earlier?" Yukari smiled.

Dutch grinned. "Maybe, just to spite you."

She laughed. "Dont worry, you are simply just one in a series of aces in the hole. You are just the best shot right now."

The darkness of their surroundings seemed to suddenly press in on them as her smile turned dark. "Head to the human village. A clear and physical threat approaches it. Find that threat and eliminate it." She drawled grimly before disappearing into a gap.

Dutch and Tenma were left alone in the pouring rain, two figures in the darkness that seemingly receded once the gap youkai had departed from their vicinity.

"You can leave, you know?" He said.

Tenma looked at him, surprised.

"If you follow me, the journey will become far more dangerous than it has been. You will be facing enemies that can take you on, with weapons that outclass even my own. Given such a fight ahead, do you think you should follow me?" Dutch finished.

Tenma simply gripped his hand hard. "Remember what I said yesterday? We're partners. Wherever you go, I'll be right beside you."

Dutch chuckled. "Fine, then let's get out of the rain."

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

The light died as Dutch sauntered off the platform. He sniffed the air and frowned in the slightest of manners. A rather distinctive smell of the sea, a gentle whiff of salt in the air that spoke of someone who had been there.

Guessing the source of the smell, he made his way to the bedroom, the scent getting stronger the closer he got to it.

Inside, when he opened the door, lay Vale, sleeping. The smell of the sea was definitely emanating from her but just how she had got it was a mystery. In fact, Dutch felt, it gave her a an air of innocence, like a child that was tired after a long day at the beach. Just the thought of it made him clench his fist in remorse.

He knew that she could never attain that because of him.

As if responding to his negative thoughts, Vale shifted uneasily in bed, whimpering in a dreamy fear, one of her slender hands crossed over to the other side where it lay open, waiting to be held.

Dutch sighed as he answered the silent plea. Getting into the bed, he moved so that he did not sit on her hand while he lay down, he then gently took her hand in his.

Immediately Vale pulled it back to her, like a fisherman reeling in a catch. She clasped his hand with both of hers while her entire body literally curled around it, protectively holding it close. Her uneasy face transformed into a content one, as she held the hand of her soulmate.

Dutch sighed. This girl would never cease to amaze him. Feeling a bit experimental, he closed his eyes as he delved into their mind link, trying to find, if any, of Vale's emotions while she slept.

Instead, when he probed the mind link, he was assailed by such a powerful feeling of fatigue that he found himself falling asleep almost immediately. Seeing no harm in taking a rest, he gave himself tothe feeling, his body unconsciously moulding itself to the girl next to him, his arm draped over her sleeping body, wings and all.

Their breaths mingled as they both slept, two halves of the same soul joined together.

* * *

><p>Vale awoke.<p>

Her eyes still closed, she felt him. His hand in hers, an arm draped over her protectively.

She opened her eyes as a smile spread slowly across her dainty countenance, gazing across at the most important thing in her existence, she drank in the peaceful expression on his face. With a ruffle of fabric, she brought her hand up to his face, brushing her skin against his.

"You came back." She whispered as her hand cupped his cheek. Slowly, she brought her lips to him, gently kissing him with all the love she could muster and more.

Seemingly responding to her, Dutch moved, pulling her on top in his sleep. Vale yelped softly in surprise as they changed position, their hands still joined together.

Giggling lightly at the unconscious movement, Vale smiled at the young man under her. Her humor died as she spotted the cut along the side of his neck, the red a stark contrast against his skin.

'Why Dako? Why must you be in danger?' She cried in her mind. Her eyes teared up as she regarded her soulmate's situation with great sadness.

A droplet slowly made its way down her cheek before falling, gravity doing its job.

* * *

><p>Dutch woke to the feeling of water dripping on him.<p>

He opened his eyes to find his love over him, her radiant sky blue eyes dimmed with sadness. He could follow her tears as they traced the contours of her face, their watery content glinting in the light. Even just from that, he could clearly see that she was barely holding her emotions in.

'What's wrong?' He asked her.

Vale choked back a sob at his question. She simply leaned down and kissed him, unleashing a floodgate of emotions onto him, through her actions and over their mind link.

'Take me. Take all of me.' She cried as she let him into her mouth and her mind, free to do as he pleased with her.

As Dutch returned her physical actions, he drowned in the mental. Her emotions filled every corner of his mind, each of them experienced by him as he felt it all. Her needs, her wants, her fears...

Her love.

He savored all of her feelings as he realized just how much she needed him and in turn, how much he needed her. She would lay bare all of her thoughts to him. How much, he wondered, was he willing to do so?

Never the same, he realized. He was far too secretive, holding too many secrets to be willing to open his mind to hers. For that, he despised himself.

While their minds were preoccupied with each other, their bodies seemingly moulded themselves together. Their mouths were a frenzy of movement, their moans muffled through the battle of their tongues. Their hands unconsciously explored, feeling every inch of their bodies.

In a lovely haze, Vale unbuttoned Dutch's shirt, her hands echoing his own as they unthinkingly undressed the other, their hands drawing from the other experiences to find the right spots. Their clothing came off in rapid successions, mouths always joined together.

Soon, they were down to their undergarments and they had no inclination to stop. Vale's hands roamed his body, feeling the steely muscles underneath his skin while her lover's hands busied themselves with her top. As he unhooked the clasp of her bra, he managed to stab his finger with a hook.

The flare of pain managed to break the lust-induced haze on Dutch's mind, allowing to bring him back to the present. Realizing what was going on, he pulled away from her, stopping before anything happened.

Vale cried out reluctantly as her love drew away from her, confused and hurt at his sudden rejection. Her heart burned with pain as her emotions wrecked themselves from the sudden rejection.

The pain of her heart crossed over to him, telling him what he had just committed. But Dutch suppressed the urge to return to her, lest he lost himself again.

"Why?" Vale asked painfully as she cried.

Dutch turned back once he was sure that he could keep his control, his heart too hurting from what had happened.

"I can't. I won't. Not until I know that we won't regret it later." He answered.

Vale pulled him close. "Why Dako! You have me, all of me!" She cried.

"I won't! We are going too fast Vale! We have only been soul-linked for less than a day! A day!" Dutch returned just as vehemently.

Silence descended on them, only broken by Vale's renewed sobs.

"I don't want us to do something that we both might regret. I want to spend more time with you but I don't want that dimension to our relationship yet. Please, just trust me on this. I beg you." Dutch pleaded as he held her close, his eyes watering in tandem to hers.

Vale cried as she held him back. "I don't know what to do!" She sobbed. "You keep going out there and getting into danger and there is nothing I can do! I'm scared Dako! I'm so scared..."

"I - I..." Dutch faltered as he tried to answer her... He couldn't.

"Promise me Dutch! Promise me that you will always come back, no matter what happens! Please..." She begged as she rose to face him, her eyes pleading for his answer.

"I - I promise. Always." Dutch answered as they cried together. Vale drew him into another kiss, one that he gladly returned, as the two lovers came together in a joining of souls, their minds drowning into the presence of each other.

* * *

><p>Later<p>

Dutch broke away from Vale's lips, panting for air as she lay on top... Again and pouted at him in response to the breakaway before settling on him. Her wings draped over the both of them, protectively keeping them warm as they indulged in each other.

"How long has it been?" He asked as he idly played with a lock of her hair. Vale simply clung onto him, her eyes filled with that spark again, that spark of possessiveness that seemed to characterize his relationship with his closest Gensokyian companions.

"Longer..." She murmured as she shifted on top of him. Dutch breathed pleasantly as their bare skin brushed against each other, their bodies intertwined with nothing between them.

"Come on, there are things to do, we can't stay here forever." He said as he moved to dislodge her. Vale stubbornly held on, unwilling to let go as she grumbled and batted away his hand, her grip tightening on him.

Sighing, Dutch brought their lips together, where she eagerly responded, mewling as he filled her mouth with his taste. When they broke away, she pouted as she realized that he had used the kiss as a distraction to untangle their bodies.

"Seriously, I have things to do. And you need a bath." He noted as he finally noticed how potently the smell of the sea emanated from her body.

Vale sat on the bed and blushed deeply as she thought of a request. "Only if you join me." She mumbled, her eyes shifty.

Dutch chuckled. "You really are persistent aren't you?" He laughed as he bent down to pick her up. In one fluid motion, he lifted her like a princess and stood up.

Vale yelped at the sudden change, her blush intensifying the further he carried her. Her carrier snickered at her embarrassed reaction as she had to resolve herself to clinging to him. Her rosy blush spread rapidly from her face to cover her entire body.

He carried her across the room into the bathroom, where somehow a very large bath had already filled itself with hot water. Steam rose off the surface of the easily pool-sized reservoir, snaking up from the edges of a long case of steps which descended gently into the water, an indication of just how big and deep the bath was.

"I wonder what people would think if they saw us right now, probably that you are a spoilt girl." Dutch noted as he carried her right up to the water's edge.

"And that you are a pervert." Vale mumbled as she glanced at the water. Her experience with Nora made her tense up a bit, especially since she was about to enter another body of water.

Dutch chuckled softly before unceremoniously dumping her into the bath, then, to rub salt in her wounds, he jumped in, cannonballing into the water next to her. He laughed as he rose out of the water, his height helping him to stand in the now, choppy pool.

Vale sputtered as she burst out of the water, spitting the liquid from her mouth like some sort of water feature. She gritted her teeth in anger as she regarded her laughing soulmate, his loud guffaws filling the air.

"The expression on your face..." He managed to force out before losing himself again. Vale splashed water at him in revenge, the liquid doing nothing to quell his laughter as he kept on going.

With a furious snarl, she launched herself at him, knocking the both of them under the water surface. While the liquid churned in the wake of her action, Vale forced herself onto Dutch, her tongue pillaging his mouth with a vengeful energy. Her victim fought back but he was too slow to react and his efforts were overpowered by the fiery maiden, leaving him helpless to her assault.

When they rose to the surface again, the two were now holding onto each other, their battle for supremacy now a simple exchange of equals, slowly caressing each others' tongue with their own, savoring the feeling of each other, their fingers intertwined.

They panted as they broke apart, refilling their burning lungs with oxygen. Their foreheads pressed against each other as they savored the moment.

"Why does everything end with a kiss?" Dutch casually enquired as he broke away, making his way to the waters' edge where bottles of different cleaning materials stood. He selected one with a vanilla scent, figuring that it would go well with Vale.

"Because I love you." Vale answered as she treaded water, the feeling of the water's warmth penetrating into her bones. She shivered in delight as the wear on her body seemingly evaporated like a puddle on a hot day.

"There are a lot of other ways that you could actually show love you know? Like going on a trip together...how stupid of me." Her love cursed as he remembered their situation. He clenched his fist again at his own forgetfulness, an inward anger in his eyes.

"Dako! No! Stop it!" Vale commanded as she flooded their link with her own anger.

He seemingly ignored her as he stood there in the water, his guilt weighing down on him like Atlas and the world. "If I could free you right now, release you from here, I would. But I can't and it feels worse, knowing that you are here because I am here. Damn it hurts..." He whispered, frustration infused in his words.

"Dutch!" Vale shouted as she rammed into him, pushing both of them onto the water edge, his back bumping against the wall.

Fighting down her tears, she took his hand and placed it over her beating heart, the throbbing strong with her emotions.

"Do you feel that Dutch? That's yours. That's all yours." Vale cried out, pleading for him to understand the truth.

Dutch cried too, the tears following the contour of his face before merging with the water. "It shouldn't be like this! You shouldn't be made to be here! For any reason, especially me!"

Vale pressed her lips against his, conveying her desire for him to listen to her and to settle down. He obeyed her, letting his emotion die down to an insignificant ember. They broke apart, both still weeping silently.

Vale pressed her hand over his. "You made me. You saved me. You taught me how to live. If I had to choose, Dutch, I would gladly stay here, because all I truly want is to be with you. I can't live without you. I just can't." She whispered.

Dutch wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer as he could as he let his vision defocus. "I know, I love you." He simply said as he wept.

She echoed his movements, wrapping hers around him as well. "I love you too." She echoed, letting her body rest against him.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry."<p>

Those words came out of Vale's mouth as she watched Dutch clothe himself. The entity floated at the pool's edge, half in half out of the water, her hands holding onto the side for support, her face a mask of shame, eyes downcast.

Dutch turned around quickly, his fingers in mid button. He opened his mouth to speak but was beaten by the guilty entity.

"I really was scared that you would be gone forever. I thought that if we could do...t-that before you were taken away from me, at least we would have sealed our relationship. I'm sorry Dako, I really am." Vale apologized.

Dutch smiled at her antics. "But you learnt something in return didn't you? That's what matters."

Vale looked at in him in surprise as Dutch walked up to her. He placed his hand on her head and ruffled it, the wet hair becoming a mess in his hands.

"Besides, most of it is my fault. Now before you deny it..." He said as she opened his mouth in protest. "...I should have been more considerate. You're still learning, so you are forgivable but I should have known better. I should have slowed us down, not let things escalate to the point that we were doing things like a couple in heat. For that, I have only myself to blame."

Vale looked at him unsurely. "What can I do? All I have ever done to you is kiss you."

Dutch chuckled. "But you did a great many things before this. The steak for one. Bringing me tea for another. All those small actions must mean something, shouldn't they?"

His hand moved to her chin, where he tilted her face to look at him, his eyes filled with an epiphany that he just realized. "I guess we both forgot the things that really matter and only thought of the physical side. The both of us have done some daft things, so I think it's time for us to return to a better time, don't you think?"

Vale looked at him questionably. "What do you mean?"

"Why don't we start over? A renewed relationship." Dutch proposed.

His love considered the idea carefully. "I think..." She started, smiling serenely, "...I would like that very much."

He moved in for a kiss, one that she returned gladly. This time, it lacked all of the energy, the lust that both had for each other. Instead, it was slow and peaceful, filled with a loving quality. As it should have been.

They broke apart with a smile on their lips. Dutch handed her the bottle of vanilla shampoo and moved to leave the room. He stopped at the door, turning back to give her a final loving grin before closing the door.

* * *

><p>Later<p>

Vale came out later, her hair still lightly glinting from the water in it. She walked with a slight limping gait, her face scrunched up in a barely discernable grimace as she tried not to aggravate the injury.

It was this image that greeted Dutch as he turned away from the interface. His smile gave way to a worried gasp as he moved to help her, the vault entity's quick protests turning into a silent blush as he carried her to the seat, kneeling down to check her wound.

As he looked at the dressing of the wound, he frowned. It was familiar, enough so that he could remember the many times the same dressing had been applied to him. Stowing the thought and hiding it away from the mind link, he created another chair for himself but stopped himself, feeling a bit mischievous.

He took Vale's hand and kissed it, constantly staring into her sky-blue eyes while she blushed madly at the scene before her.

"My Lady, may I request your permission to seat myself?" He asked, still kneeling before her.

Automatically, he felt her react to the scene through the mind link. If anything, the loud thump of her heartbeat through the link was a good indicator of her reaction. Or he could draw the same conclusion from her still madly blushing face.

"O-of course you may, but you will have to brush my hair." Vale stuttered, embarrassed yet thrilled at the performance.

Dutch pressed his lips against her hand again. "Of course, my Lady."

As he took his seat, Vale presented her back to him, her sterling blue hair flowing down to her crystalline wings, folded in to help him in his task, and further, reaching down her back. As a brush appeared in his hands, Dutch realized he had no idea what to do.

Help came over the mind link, as Vale gave him the appropriate actions to follow. With her guidance, he started to brush her hair, the strands complying with his movements easily.

As they sat there, both indulged in their roles. Vale let out a relaxed sigh every time she felt the brush move. Dutch on the other hand simply felt the hair in his hands, the strands silky smooth to the touch. The pleasant aroma of vanilla drifted from them, one that suited Vale, and he brought them to his nose, sniffing them and drawing another blush from her.

As he worked the brush, he noticed that Vale shivered ever so slightly every time the bristles touched the base of her wings, where they met her back. Curiously, he brushed along the base and was rewarded with a squeak of surprise from the girl.

'Stop that! I'm sensitive there...' Vale mumbled in the link.

Dutch smiled wolfishly as he ran a finger down the base of the wing. He was rewarded by a moan as Vale shuddered to the sensation, her back arched to his touch. Grinning, he massaged the base with his fingertips and was rewarded with a succession of gasps, the accompanying feeling flooding their mind link. Vale's wings stretched out to their full glory involuntarily, her body reacting to the feeling.

'D-Dako, p-ple-please...' Vale moaned over their link as he worked in the base of her other wings as well, drawing moans with renewed vigor from the girl as her body shut down from the sensuous assault.

Finally Dutch stopped his attack. As Vale panted from the exertion, her soulmate hugged her, pulling her into him.

'You were so cute.' He whispered. The image of her, with her back arched and wings stretched out, was so vulnerablely adorable Dutch had had to resist the urge to break what he had said just earlier with everything he could muster.

Vale pouted. 'You said you'll brush.' She grumbled as she leaned back against him.

He laughed. 'Fine fine.' He said before he returned to brushing her hair, his past efforts ruined by his actions.

The longer it took, the more Dutch's mind drifted. Somehow, his mind became affixed on the concept of aging. Would Vale stay the same, while he aged? He wondered. His musings granted him an image in his head, of an older Vale.

Her older image seemed around his age. She was taller, to the point where their lips could meet if she tiptoed and pulled his head down simultaneously. Her looks developed too, the lovely face of which his heart belonged with an adult undertone to it, a wonderful image of a girl coming of age. Her body grew too and Dutch diverted his attention away from it, focusing on other parts. Her wings grew to majestic proportions, the crystalline white feathers gaining a hint of blue that gave her an ethereal quality.

To complete the image, she was clad in a pearl dress, with the addition of an azure capelet that gave her a light gracefulness, even through her image was still. Her legs were covered by a sterling blue skirt and her feet had a pair of rugged boots that completed the image.

On a whim, Dutch swapped all of her clothing in his head to a wedding gown, the white gown suiting Vale so well it took his breath away. It truly was a beautiful image, the white gown blending in together with her in a way that he couldn't describe.

An angelic laugh brought his attention away from his daydreams. Vale laughed again as she looked happily at Dutch. He realized belatedly that his actions had stopped, his mind too taken by Vale's older image that he had stopped moving.

'It's not complete.' Vale spoke to him in his mind as she smiled at him. As Dutch looked back at her in confusion, a new image flashed into his mind over their link.

It was the same image of Older Vale in the wedding dress. The only change there, was that now Dutch stood beside her, clad in a wedding suit, her arm in his.

'Now that is complete.' She announced. 'And that is what I like.'

Dutch chuckled. "Oh you." He whispered, the only spoken words of their exchange.

Vale simply giggled before leaning in for a slow deep kiss, one which both took their time to indulge in.


	35. To humanity!

HELLO! I have returned! WARGGGGGHHH.

Ugh, what the hell can i say? Updates are long in between and i just hope that people still have their interest of this. Still, read on and have fun.

As usual, great thanks goes to Ban3 to editing and letting me use his characters.

* * *

><p><em>Given the success of the Project Youkai alpha batch, as we were called, it was to no surprise that the creation of a beta batch was already in effect by Project Youkai Fall. This time however, the candidates were drawn from orphanage systems around the world, so as to lessen the notice of these missing people. The people involved in the acquisition of these candidates, the Humanities Branch, were sincere in their work, under the illusion that they were truly giving them a better life. When the project fell, they were the first branch to adhere to the new structure with open arms. The branch is still in operation, however now truly doing what they believed in, finding children from orphanages around the world and giving them a helping hand by allowing them the chance for a proper education. Occasionally, certain malignant owners were selected for assassination, for acts committed against the children. I would know, I participated in a few myself. As for the beta batch, their training cut short by the sudden change, they were given a proper education, although given the thoroughness of Project Youkai training, human interaction was still severely lacking.<em>

_For this reason, most were attached to alpha batch candidates, where the majority were taken to treating their predecessors with reverence, even through some were of a similar age_.-Recorded by Office of Physics operative Dutch Kotozaki(ret) on the impacts of the Fall of Project Youkai(Submitted to the Crypt for record)

?

The lone tengu sat at the table, her silver mane muted in the dim light, mulling over her drink as her burgundy eyes seemingly bored into the surface as if it were the answer to all of her problems. Her pale hands held the cup in a death grip, the clay creation trembling.

As she sat there, a Hakurou tengu sat down beside her, her snowy ears perked up on high alert. Her weapon, a bow, sheathed on her back as her hands held a sword that gleamed in the dimness. She placed it upon the table with the utmost care, an infinitesimal tap that seemed to echo like a gunshot.

"Captain, you left your weapon." She whispered as she reached to take away the cup in the Karasu's hands. Despite the indicative trembling, it was taken away with ease, brought away where it was free from the assault.

The Karasu tengu simply stayed silent, her eyes looking down at her hands as she closed her fists instead, her body spent of energy. The Hakurou sighed as she moved the swords into her superior's hands.

"Captain Tenma, please. The Oni are gathering everyone and we cannot lose a scout captain right now." She implored.

Tenma looked up at her friend. "I almost lead an entire company into a trap. One hundred and twenty Tengu, each one of them a fighter who was called to serve, almost died because a scout captain almost didn't spot a boulder on a cliff set to fall. I shouldn't be here Eri."

The wolfish Tengu sighed again. "But you did, and those tengu survived. Come, please. The Oni are pulling all Tengu and Kappa back and the rumors are that we are going to the moon. We need you."

Tenma blinked in surprise. "The moon? What does the moon have to offer but rabbits and Lunarians?" She inquired.

"Truly, we don't know. It is whispered that the Oni are seeking conquest." Eri breathed, careful to keep her voice as low as possible. Ears were everywhere.

Tenma's eyes widened in shock. "But that's suicide. The moon is powerful and we gain nothing from such an endeavor." While it was rare for anyone to have gone to the moon and returned, knowledge was abundant regarding the powerful capabilities of the Lunar civilization. Having tangled with a lunar surveillance team before, Tenma knew the power of moon weaponry. Their great bows and magi-bows were dangerous weapons, especially the magi-bow, which due to the widespread nature of the weapon, was used by the rabbits. It conveyed the power and image of a crossbow, yet fired a far more lethal magic projectile.

"You know the nature of our masters. We have no say in this whatsoever." Eri whispered. "Regardless, we need you captain. Remember what you told me? About duty?"

"If not duty to your master, duty to your comrades." Tenma recited, a series of words that held great meaning to her. Immediately, a clear change showed in the Karasu tengu. Her hands gripped the sword tightly as they suddenly found new energy. Fire flared in her burgundy eyes, a blaze shining within the deep red.

"Alright then. We will have to gather the entire command squad. I will need to speak with all the squad leaders under my command." She said as she dictated her orders to her subordinate. Eri grinned as she whipped out her paper and wrote down the words spoken. Her leader was back.

...fans for all squad leaders. They will need them to use the wind." Tenma finished. "We may have no say in this but we have a say in the battle. If we can't stop this attack, we can at least limit our losses with effective scouting."

"Yes, Captain Tenma."

Tenma got up from the table. "Well, then, I spent too much time here." She muttered as she moved off, Eri following.

"Captain? It's good that you're back." She said as they headed out into the moonlight.

Tenma only looked up at the moon above them in answer. She imagined the blood that would stain its surface before long. "Good or not, there is a change coming. I only hope that the tengu can survive it." She whispered.

The world dissolved yet again to nothing. Tenma regarded the change with little surprise. The third time was expected. It was just that, this, was strange. It had little to connect to the events of the day.

"Hmmm, a free spirit. No wonder this happened." A voice broke Tenma's trance.

The Karasu tengu turned to the voice, her power automatically in her hands as she faced the speaker. She frowned and tensed up in defense at the brunette smiling back at her.

"Oh don't be so hostile. After all, we just met." The intruder of her dreams said as a laugh bubbled through her throat. Tenma simply shifted in place as she regarded this new person.

"Who are you ? Where did you come from?" Came the questions, curt in execution.

The woman bowed. "Nora Murray, at your service. Where I came from, well that's a more appropriate question." She said as she started to walk around, circling Tenma as the youkai lord turned with each step, constantly presenting her front to her other.

Nora stopped and stared into Tenma's eyes. "I am an overseer, a handler, a superior to a very unique person. Born in nothing, forged by challenge and tempered by will, he has done things that many fear, taken tasks that most decline, saved more than he himself can ever imagine. He has murdered innocents, killed adults and children alike. He is an instrument of anarchy, fighting for order."

"Yet..." She noted. "Yet, he is kind, not one to hurt someone on purpose. He is strong, sharp and fluid. He doesn't hate, he doesn't care for power. He is quite the person, I must say. Quite the person indeed, to hold feelings for you."

Tenma froze. "What... Do you even know who you are talking about?" She whispered.

"Oh yes, oh yes I do. You see, Dutch is a very special person. He needs...a kind of special attention too, for his sake and others. Because of that attention, I know him, inside and out. I can say with some form of belief that in his heart, there is a place for you." Nora pointed at Tenma.

"Of course, what sort of place that would be, is the next question. It is not set. It grows, but the question is, will it be a tumor or a flower?" Nora continued.

Tenma bristled at the implied insult. "How dare you even insinuate that I would be such a thing?"

Nora chuckled. "Oh, it's not me that holds such thoughts. You have so many detractors, so many who would be happy for the two of you to be apart. It is they you should raise your hackles at."

"I am but a humble caretaker who desires for my charge to be happy. It just so happens that you are one of those ways." She declared. "So many possibilities, so many endings. Fascinating..."

Tenma ignored that last comment. Those words reminded her so easily of a certain sage who wasn't afraid to create painful schemes.

"And what about the one that claims him as her own? What does she have to do with this?" She questioned. That presence was a clear opponent and Tenma wanted information about her.

Her counterpart grinned. In-between them, Dutch appeared, an image of the man that stood at attention, casually holding his carbine. Nora gestured and Vale followed, the entity wrapping herself around Dutch, her arms reaching around his neck like a vise. She stared intensely at Tenma, partially hidden behind Dutch's shoulder, a possessive burn in her eyes that glowed like hot coals.

'Mine.' Came her words, reverberating in the air.

Tenma clenched her fists as she regarded her opponent for the first time. She was cute, the tengu lord noted, but looks were a very deceptive thing. Even then, her opinion of her was the same.

"Her name is Vale. What do you see?" Nora smilingly questioned.

"A parasite that clings to him." Was the answer.

That answer made Nora blink in surprise. Tapping the air, her eyes watched invisible images before they gleamed with mirth. "I guess the mind sees what it wants to see." She quipped, grinning again.

"What did you see?" Tenma growled.

Nora waved her hand airily. Vale was again behind Dutch, her hands around his neck. Except this time, she hung on to him lovingly, a peaceful smile on her face echoed by the man in her arms.

Tenma watched the sight with confused eyes. "What is this?" She muttered as her heart tugged at the image.

" What I see...and have seen." Nora stated.

"You are not the only one who cares for him. You aren't even the only one that wants to claim him. The only difference is that she has found her place in his heart. She has earned her place, her reward, you can call it, for what she has done. Him and her, are tied together in ways you will never reach. They exist together now, two corpses in one grave." She continued, smiling at Tenma's frowning face.

"Surprised perhaps? But it's true. They both paid heavy prices for each other, went beyond the seemingly possible. She sacrificed herself to save him and in return, he has bound his soul to save her. Two lives, now tied as one. Poetic, yes, but it matters a lot more to you than just its meaning. You cannot rid him of her, any more than you can rid yourself of you. She is him, mind, body and soul, just like he is her."

"That's why she appears to you as such. A lover, marking hers against others. Oh yes, a lover indeed." Nora savored, watching Tenma's shocked face, the image between them transforming, a picture of the two in the center joined intimately. " She cannot exist without him, as the same for him too."

Tenma simply watched the image of the couple together, their heads touching together. It was...heartwarming yet so heartbreaking. The image conveyed a clear message about the two but at the same time, it told Tenma that she had already lost. Her fight was over, even before she begun.

"What does that make you feel? Despair? Loss? You shouldn't." Her counterpart said. "Because even then, there is still the issue of his feelings for you."

"What do you mean?" Tenma whispered faintly.

Nora held her hand out, a Faustian bargain in her open palm. "I give you now a way to keep your chance. A very twisted chance but still a chance nevertheless. All you have to do is to accept this." She offered darkly.

"What do you stand to gain?" The tengu muttered.

"Happiness, for him. That is all I need or want."

Tenma eyed the open palm cautiously, as though it were a deadly viper. No matter what she felt, the woman before her, smiling in such a benign manner, was a devil incarnate. So much promise yet danger.

But...Dutch.

She took the open hand. "Fine." She breathed out.

Nora grinned victoriously. "Well, then, now that this is out of the way, we can really get down to business. Dutch has a real problem and he is going to need all the help he can get, especially from you."

She brought up an image, an image of a weapon, similar in shape to Dutch's M4. Except this time, it was much larger, possessing two barrels, a larger one above the other.

"This is the weapon that got Dutch worried and rightfully so. It is dangerous and essentially combines his carbine and grenade launcher into one dainty package." She explained, bringing up an image of the weapons as she spoke. "Just a small group armed with this can do serious damage."

"But of course, there is a far greater threat to the village than that. That, however, Dutch will have to decipher on his own before he can do anything, and oh yes, I do know what it is. A weapon, with power beyond normal capacity. One that he is very experienced with." She described to suspicious stares from Tenma. Nora simply smiled cryptically.

"How will he stop this weapon?"

"He will know. And with the power in this world, there will be many ways to dispose of it. What you have to do is to help him. He is proficient, but two heads are always better than one."

As Tenma thought about it, Nora waved a hand in front of her face."Well, then, I must be off. You aren't the only one that has issues to contend with. Remember, you still have a chance. She is still learning, which means that you hold the advantage in knowledge. Use it well." She finished before slowly fading away.

"Wait! How did you get here?" Tenma asked, curious as to how someone in Dutch's head could make her way into hers.

Nora chuckled. "Well, you should be really careful of where you put your tongue next time. Although I must say, such a brazen move indeed. I approve."

And she was gone.

Tenma huffed in irritation. It would appear that her dreams were no longer hers alone, a fact which greatly irritated her. Was there anything that was not private in her head?

Still, as she stood there alone, her mind wandered. What did Nora mean by a twisted chance? There was something she wasn't saying, that was for sure.

"I'm but a humble caretaker who wants my charge to be happy."

Tenma frowned. Those words rang so similar to the Youkai Sage that it was unsettling. It spoke of a single minded concern, a drive to ensure that one outcome, irrespective of any other would come to fruition. She made a note to scrutinize anything that Nora gave her carefully, lest it hurt her.

She slowly started to drift away, releasing her mind into the clouded fog of her dreams. As her vision faded, her last sight tugged again at her heart.

Dutch and Vale blurred away.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch leaned against the back of the bed, his eyes troubled, as thoughts crowded his mind. Next to him, his soul mate slept, a joyful smile occupied her features as her sleeping mind drew from his presence. Her arms wrapped around him, occasionally drawing her closer to him, like a child that hugged their favorite toy tightly while they slept. Peace flooded the mind link, a feeling that whispered the promised comforts of sleep.

He resisted the urge to join her in blissful slumber. Although he did not move, Dutch's mind was very active, scrolling through different sections of both the vault and the nanobots in his head. Things had him bothered and answers were in order.

The first was Yukari's choice of words. A clear and physical threat seemed quite an unnecessary set of words to use. One of them was enough and two was an overreaction. Hence, he felt that there wa something hidden in her words that could help him. He just needed to find out what.

The second was his opponents. While surely they wouldn't carry their weapon out in the open, lest they drew unwanted attention, once they did, everything would go to hell in a hand basket, and fast. Even wanton use of the weapon itself would easily do too much damage. And if a single shot got off, he would be sure that attention would converge onto the scene. This world had very little experience with modern firearms and the damage they could inflict. Not to mention, these were next generation weaponry, outclassing even his own.

Lastly, Vale.

She was plainly distressed by the circumstances that he was in. Her fear of his death wasn't without merit. Even without the current issues, Gensokyo was a very dangerous place and he would be wise to watch himself. And yet there truly was nothing he could do. Until he saw the magician in the forest that Yukari recommended to him, there was nothing he could do that could really let Vale help out. If it did come true and Vale could exit the vault, just the danger she would encounter alone was enough for him to veto the idea.

As his mind ran, sleep tugged at his mind again, channeled by his bond to the girl beside him. He easily pulled away from the influence and stroked Vale's hair in answer, content to have her by his side. She let out a happy mumble, nuzzling into his shirt.

Wait.

His mind reran the feeling. Vale transferred her state of mind to him through their link. She could also give him mental images and her words very easily. What if...it was information instead?

Was it possible?

As if jolted by this idea, his mind began thoroughly examining the idea, thinking up possibilities. It wasn't too hard, since all she needed to do was to process information that he would be too busy to. She could help him spot targets he missed, see objects that he wouldn't. And most importantly, she would be able to have a direct hand in his well being.

It was at that point that the penny truly dropped. He could design some sort of wide area detection system to go along, like Tenma's protective wind circle. She would be able to monitor threats outside his view and alert him in time. One drawback of modern weaponry was the narrowed view from aiming down a rifle sight, be it iron or holographic. Even setting that aside, human eyesight barely reached a semicircle. With Vale's help, he could at least ensure the detection of all threats at close range, something military researchers had been attempting for centuries.

It could work. No, it would work, he told himself as his mind started to create the baseline algorithms to help it. He was impressed at how the vault worked, converting magical formula into something recognizable for him, this time being algorithms. Of course, there were issues that he had to fix but one problem at a time.

Now if he could only get rid of the angel clinging onto him so he could actually reach the interface and get to work. Which appeared to be impossible, seeing how her deceptively iron hold on him just tightened some more, as if warning him from such a course of action.

Sometimes, the show could not go on, it seemed. Sighing at his companion, Dutch settled back into sleep, letting the pull of dreams envelop him like a comforting cloak.

* * *

><p>Dawn<p>

Forest of Magic

Just off the Forest road

The harvester smiled at his good luck.

He had managed to find some rare medicinal mushrooms, ones highly sought after by the healers in town. While not as proficient as the lunar doctor, they provided a closer source of help, important when the bamboo forest was a day's walk, should one not have the ability of flight.

As he felt his bag again for the precious fungi, the sound of carts caught his attention. Curiously, he made his way through the trees to the source, his mind perplexed. The only reason he was up so early in the morning was because it was the transition period between the night dwellers and the day hunters, leaving as little predators as possible awake. And with the rain the day before, the air was thick with the forest aroma, a curious miasma of decay, fragrance and earth. It helped mask his scent from the predators.

But to have carts moving so early in the morning meant that these people would have departed in the night the day before. With no new festivals, there was no reason for such a foolhardy move. Hence his curiosity.

Making his way to the edge of the road, he was surprised to see a large group of men, definitely more than ten guarding at least two carts which trundled towards him. That was even more peculiar, since such a large group would be unnecessary to defend just two carts. Judging from their attire, they were from the mountain villages, which added to the strangeness of these people, since to make such a journey would mean at least an eight hour walk, not including rest. These people would have left around evening the day before. A very dangerous move indeed.

"Hello there, good morning to you!" He shouted. Strange or not, these were humans and courtesy was deserved.

The strangers' reaction to his greeting was natural enough. They waved back warmly as they approached, although there weren't smiles on their faces. The harvester brushed aside that, since they were still in dangerous territory. Good spirits could wait until the village.

He waited as they got closer to him, the creaking of carts increasing in volume. The apparent leader of the group sped up to him, a heavy built man dressed in a simple white shirt and hazel pants, both darkened by earth.

"Good morning to you too. What are you doing, here so early in the morning?" He asked, his smile betrayed by his neutral eyes.

"I should say the same to you. I'm gathering mushrooms. What are you doing so early in the morning?"

The man sighed pitifully. "Customers want their materials before noontime and we were delayed before we could depart. So we decided to leave at night."

The harvester was surprised at the foolhardiness of the man. "But at night? That would be incredibly dangerous."

His counterpart smiled sadly. "Needs take priority."

"I see." The harvester said as the carts caught up to them, their pushers grunting at the effort. They were both covered by cloth, disguising the contents inside but as the carts passed them, a pothole on the ground caught the wheel of the front cart and something shifted inside. The cloth moved and the harvester caught a flash of a strange symbol on a black cylindrical object.

And then he was choking on air.

No, blood, his stunned mind corrected as he belatedly realised that he was on the ground. Hands touched his throat as blood spilled down it, a river powered by his own heartbeat.

"Why...?"

But his killers were already moving away, the creaking of the carts getting further away.

Everything was fading away, black creeping along the edge of his vision. His body would be eaten by the forest youkai and everyone who knew him would only regard him as his last thoughts grew increasingly fogged, his last thought was his family.

'I'm sorry...I won't ever see you again...'

And he was gone.

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

"We sure kicked some real ass, didn't we?"

Dutch look up at the white ceiling as the last vestiges of his dream faded, the words remaining in his mind. It spoke of a different time, a different world. A different life.

"Yea, we sure did. Looks like I'm doing this alone though. Will miss you guys." He whispered longingly. It was always the three of them, out to save the world. They fought and bled, secure in the knowledge that their winning meant something. Now, it was just him, with different companions. A different team.

Somehow, change felt painful. Sure he had been with his fellows for a while now but he was given a task to do now and not having his two partners...hurt. Like a hankering urge for the two constants in his life, it pulled at his heart.

He felt lonely.

Ironic perhaps, since he was bonded mentally to Vale, who still held on to him, albeit less strongly. But he wouldn't lie to himself, not for such a emotional reason.

Still, he had a task to do. It had to be done, regardless of feelings.

As he moved to disengage himself from Vale, it drew her from her slumber. The girl yawned as she rose, stretching her arms and wings. Her sleepy eyes focused on the man next to her, energy gathering in them as she recognized him.

As he moved to leave the bed, a uneasy hand caught his. Dutch turned back to an afraid Vale, her sky-blue eyes beseeching him.

'Promise you will come back.' She whispered hesitantly in his mind.

"I promise." He swore, before giving her a peck on her vault entity reluctantly released him, her eyes tracking him as he left the room.

As the door clicked shut, he heard a faint sob.

* * *

><p>Orphanage of Lost Dreams<p>

Protective wall

Tenma scanned the pure blue sky, her keen eyes watching for any traveling Karasu tengu. Her heart ached at the wrongness of her location as she imagined watching the sky from the perspective of the tengu palace.

Now that she had some time to think, she felt rather strange, not waking up in the palace. She spent far too long in her lordly abode, she mused, for her to have such a feeling.

She wondered about the condition of the village. She had left Eri in charge and while Tenma could trust in her Hakurou aide, she still kept a healthy level of thought for her people.

The youkai lord swore to find some way to benefit her people in this journey, one way or another. Perhaps the defeat of this new threat could help. Whoever could attack the human village could attack her own. She would be wise to head off this threat.

As she watched the passing clouds, the clank of someone rising via a nearby ladder caught her attention. Utsudo climbed onto the wall, her staff in a harness under her cloak. The Tsuchigumo was blushing lightly, seemingly embarrassed by whatever was on her mind.

"Hey, well, I kinda need to say this." She mumbled, her blush deepening with each word as her hands clasped together in tandem.

Tenma smiled at her reaction. "Yes?"

"T-thanks for what you did two days ago. R-really." She stuttered.

Tenma blinked in surprise. "Ah, you should be thanking Dutch. He was the one that decided to follow you."

"I did. But he said that you were the real help in this and should get most of the credit."

That statement made Tenma blink again. She only followed him yet he stated that she deserved praise more than him. Why?

"Your role in this will be kept quiet. Just as requested."

Of course, Tenma realized. Dutch did not like being in the limelight, he preferred the backstage, the seat behind the throne. The man was happier for others to take the credit. In fact, she noted, it suited him, helped him to draw away attention.

Very well, she decided. She would humor him.

"I see. Well then, thank you." She accepted.

Utsudo let a relieved sigh. "So where are you going now?" She inquired, curious.

"The human village. A matter persists over there which we must settle." Tenma answered carefully.

Her counterpart growled. "I don't like that place. There are so many human supremacists there."

"Believe me, you will find one in every village." Was Tenma's answer. She was no stranger to such poisonous ideals nor their effects.

Utsudo smiled curiously. "Who are you? Rosa-san wouldn't tell me who you are and she knows. I can see it."

The tengu lord answered her with an enigmatic smile. "A simple adventurer."

"Thank you so much!"

Dutch chuckled at the happy faces of the orphans, their gratitude plainly shown as they all lined up along the way to the gate. It was rare for him to be given such a reaction in his line of work.

"Please, it was natural. There needn't be such a event." He answered.

Rosa gave him a thankful smile. "But you did and that should be thanked. So accept the orphans gratitude. Its all they have."

Dutch sighed dramatically. "But if I do, what will they have left?" He moaned, to giggles from the watching children.

"Take care of yourselves but always remember you have your Onee-samas to look after you." Tenma interjected as they headed off, to waves from the orphans.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Utsudo answered, leading them through the gate, Mekan quietly following behind.

Tenma gave her a calculating look. "You know, in another time, perhaps you would make the perfect bride. Smart, determined, any proper person would be a fool to reject you."

The Tsuchigumo blushed madly. "Wh...what?!"

Her tormentor giggled. "Although, they would still have to get past your friend." She pointed out, as said friend hung back behind them, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Unless of course..." The second part hung silent in the air, drawing a faint tint of red on the kappa and a questioning glare from her.

Utsudo laughed nervously. "She doesn't feel that way, I think."

Tenma laughed. "I'm just joking. Don't take it too seriously."

"Teri on the other hand, is perfectly suitable to be a bride. In this time too." Dutch chipped in, unaware of the implications of his words.

Tenma immediately blushed,her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Him and her, joined by marriage? The possibility seemed so impossible and yet...so tantalizing.

"Sh-shut up." She stuttered to laughs from the three of them. She wiped her head of such thoughts. Such things were unreachable, she told herself, and she should keep it that way.

"Well then, we'll be off. Thank you for the lodging. It was a pleasure." Her tormentor announced.

Utsudo nodded. " If you ever come back, please, let me know. There are a lot of things I can show you in the market that you will like."

Dutch nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

With that, he and Tenma trudged off, the tengu lord's blush finally calming down, but still keeping silent, their new found friends waving in the distance.

"Hey Teri, I say we make a stop over at the youkai market first and retrieve your things before setting off, how does that feel?" He asked.

Tenma roused herself from her thoughts. "I think that's a good idea." She returned quickly, her mind still busy.

"Is there something wrong? You seem rather preoccupied."

"Dutch, have you ever thought of who you would spend your life with?" Tenma questioned.

That made the man start. "Is this because of what I said? Well, I never actually thought of it. I mean, sure, I did have the usual what if thoughts but really I have no idea. The quiet life isn't really my forte after all."

"What sort of life did you envision for yourself?"

"...I don't know. I really don't. I guess I expected to keep fighting, not to come back from a mission and that would be that." He finally answered after a long silence.

That fatalistic view made Tenma lightly grab his arm, her eyes pleading. "Why? Why do you think this way?"

Dutch sighed. " Have you ever felt you passed the point of no return? That you might as well continue on because stopping is not an option? That you done so much bad that redemption is not an option?"

That sentiment kept Tenma silent.

"I killed a lot of people. More than I can remember. More than what is forgivable. I am no better then the ones I fight. So if I am gone, at least the world would be rid of one more monster." He ended.

"Dutch..."

The man cut her off with a light laugh. "Don't worry. I don't intend to die just yet. There are far more important things."

As he smiled reassuringly at the youkai woman, a mournful voice penetrated his head.

'Dako, you don't mean those words, do you?' Vale breathed into his mind as he faced away from Tenma.

The man's eyes tightened infinitesimally. 'Don't worry, I did say there are more important things. I promised.'

'Dako...'

He sighed mentally. 'You have seen my memories. You know what's it like.'

That brought a sob from the girl. 'I don't Dako. I don't understand. Please, I just don't.'

'I...'

A surge of emotion spilled over their link as the girl poured herself into him, her feelings a wave that overpowered his thoughts. Just like the night before, he felt her raw emotions, her entire mind laid out for him.

He wanted to experience it all, to feel her, to comfort her but he couldn't. Now wasn't the time.

Dutch carefully separated himself from her and gently pushed her back across the link.

'I'm sorry.' Came his words as he closed the link between them.

Turning back to Tenma, he saw her eyes stare at him with a expression of sadness, curiosity...and envy?

The tengu woman looked away. She could see it. The changes of his posture, his breath, even his eyes were telling proof that he shared his mind with Vale. The man truly was intertwined with the girl Nora showed her.

In a way, Tenma envied their relationship. It was the ultimate bond, a sharing of minds that meant that they could truly feel each other. It was a price not many were willing to pay.

Even Tenma wouldn't do it.

Dutch sighed. "Right. Let's keep this behind us. We still have a village to reach."

His partner nodded silently as they continued onwards again, their thoughts their own.

* * *

><p>"That idiot. That complete and utter idiot." Nora swore as she held the entity against her bosom, stroking her hair comfortingly, the girl sobbed pitifully.<p>

Vale looked up at her, her eyes glistening with tears. "Why?" She cried.

Nora sighed. "I guess it's partially my fault. I was the one in his past after all."

Vale squeezed her clothing. "He promised. But it hurts so much, to feel that."

The woman she held onto tightened her hold. "It's a result of his life. He was raised to fight. We all were. But he never thought beyond that."

"We can stop your training, for today." She whispered. "There is always tomorrow."

"No." Vale said as she pulled away, her tears still running but her eyes resolute.

Nora beamed proudly. "Very well." She answered before engulfing them in a portal.

* * *

><p>Youkai market<p>

Dutch waited outside the market, leaning against the tree. Tenma had gone inside, to get her equipment from the guild. He, on the other hand, saw no use in entering and kept outside.

As he waited, a nagging question rose in his head. He phased out the lever-action rifle that he had taken from the lizard man. The weapon was in a weathered condition but still operational.

It showed signs of being cleaned recently. Well within a month or so. That meant that at least rifle tech was in Gensokyo, otherwise no one would have the ability to service them. And the lizard man definitely wouldn't have the capability to do so. Even simply working the weapon was a problem for him,

"Hello humie." Ushi greeted as he walked up to him.

"Morning." Dutch returned as he glanced at his counterpart..

"You know humie, last night, a certain youkai who was powerful here left this place. He didn't come back. That gun you have there looked a lot like his." The bull youkai informed him.

Dutch chuckled. "Oh what a coincidence." He remarked casually.

"Yea well, people are going to be thinking stuff if they see that gun humie. You might wanna keep it hidden."

Dutch phased away the weapon, but not before working the lever. The bullet flew out onto his hand, where he placed it on the ground. "Well, that should be enough."

"So how was Death-legs humie?"

He smiled. "Smart, cunning and dangerous. Still, it's surprising that she never had an opponent that didn't get angry with her until now. Does everyone really have such a short fuse?"

Ushi laughed. "The thing is humie, we go there to fight, not talk."

"Makes sense."

Dutch phased in his knife, the soulless blackness against the bright day, and danced his blade again, his hands seemingly untouchable against the permanently sharp weapon.

"Hey Ushi, how's the human village like?"

The bull youkai snorted. "Human gits with more swords than brains. Walk into that place and all those gits want is your wallet. And your head for their walls."

His human counterpart chuckled, his hand closing around the knife in a sharp movement. "I'm sure the other side has the same idea."

"Aye but at least youkai gits aren't that stupid."

"We'll see about that." Tenma quipped as she walked out of the gate, carrying a pack of supplies.

"Ready to go?" Her partner questioned.

The tengu lord nodded and was answered with an apologetic smile.

"Let me finish up here with Ushi first and we will be off." Dutch returned.

"I'll be waiting at the crossroads then."

As the two watched the silvery haired youkai woman move off down the road, Ushi popped the obvious question.

"You like her, don't you humie?"

The addressed human sighed. "I do. But we are so different, so apart... If I did extend the choice, her people would be the greatest obstacle. It would hurt her. Badly."

His counterpart snorted. "Dumb idea humie. I seen human-youkai families beat idiot gits to be together. Your only problem is yourself."

"Maybe. I truly like her. She's beautiful, sharp and intelligent. But I'm not sure if that like I have will become love. Certain things are difficult and complicated.

Ushi chuckled. "Here humie, everything is complicated. Do what's simple."

"So it is. Thanks for the advice. Good luck." Dutch wished as he followed after Tenma.

"No, good luck to you humie. You seem to need it." Ushi muttered as he watched Dutch disappear into the trees.

* * *

><p>Forest road<p>

Traders route

The two travelers walked down the road, pushing along against the time to reach their destination before dark.

They both carried a pack on their backs, the result of Dutch's insistence and Tenma's eventual agreement. The Tengu lord was very opposed to splitting her load, since it was her load but Dutch pulled the same 'partners' argument as she did and she grudgingly let it go.

They now walked along the traders' route, a path preferred by every single merchant in and around the forest for it's relative safety, their boots stepping along side lines cut into the ground by countless carts before them.

As they walked, both kept themselves relaxed, albeit at varying levels per person. It was daytime and most youkai wouldn't dare to attack them, especially with such a powerful tengu in the duo. Still, Dutch regarded his lovely companion with a small level of caution. He trusted her and she had shown herself to be worthy of that trust, but given past events, he would be wise to watch himself.

He reached for her, as she looked down at the ground in thoughtful silence. She had be doing that since they left the youkai market, he noted, and whilst the subject matters of her mind were closed to him, he could easily guess what she was thinking about. Not specifically but he could at least narrow it down to one area.

Him. He had given her a lot of material to think about and frankly, he would be happy if she discontinued it. They were already very much involved together and Dutch was no fool. The apathy he received in the tengu village would rapidly sour and direct itself to Tenma if news got out.

He knew the stakes here. Whatever the cost, he could not allow Tenma's tattered reputation to be shredded any more. She covered for him and he had to do the same for her.

As his hand brushed against her shoulder, the Tengu lord reacted violently. Her own hand shot outwards, seizing his wrist in a death grip. Dutch winced as his hand started to twist to hers, glancing hurriedly at Tenma, where she was still registering what happened.

He saw the horrified realization, the fearful widening of her eyes. The pressure on his hand quickly released, a frightened gasp playing it's owner feelings, so much emotion in a second of sound.

"No...not again." She whispered.

Her partner gave her a assuring smile as he cradled his hand. "Relax, at least you didn't almost kill me this time."

"At least? Dutch, I almost hurt you again." Tenma continued.

"But I'm fine. Really." The man returned, his words betrayed by his actions.

"No you are not. Gods, I can't be close to you. Why did I..."

He grabbed her shoulders quickly but gently. "Calm down and think rationally. You didn't hurt me, at least for long. That's an improvement."

She stared back at him, aggravated by his logic. "If I had my katana out, I would have killed you. It would have been as unthinking as before. Don't you understand the danger?"

"Well, I hadn't received murder attempts by you until very recently. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." Came the answer.

"That's because I was aware of you. If I wasn't, I would have hurt you just the same. Don't attribute your safety to luck. I killed too many humans to not react to a single one."

That statement made him grin. "Well, that makes me one in the equivalent number of dead people. I'm not dead yet."

Tenma shook her head, exasperated at his casual answer. "No no no, you still don't get it. You're human, a being that has a magical nature that my body recognizes as an enemy, because I fought humans for too long. I will attack that nature if I'm not aware of you. Don't you see the danger?"

Dutch nodded. "I do. I also see the solution."

He reached out with his hand and grabbed hers, holding hers in his, drawing a gasp in the process.

"W-what are you doing?" Tenma stuttered surprised, flushing lightly from the gesture.

"Something that we did yesterday. If you reacted to my nature unconsciously, then we just have to bring my nature into the conscious state of your mind. Contact comes into mind. Hopefully, this should help you get used to me and negate your defensive reaction."

"A-ah..." She continued.

Dutch smiled as he held up their hands. "As partners, any problems we get can be solved. Even amongst ourselves. So don't think of running away when there are options still available."

"Right."

* * *

><p>Vault<p>

Dutch's memory

Depth Watcher

Nora grinned as a furious snarl erupted from Vale. It was a rather nice sight, she decided, the image of the girl in front of her. Her sky-blue eyes, once empty with tears, now alive with rage. Her wings glowing brightly. It was quite a transformation, one that seemed impossible given the heart broken sight she had seen earlier.

"Calm down. He's thinking on the more practical side of it. And he is right. Physical contact between them should allow for her to get used to him and prevent incidents like yesterday. An incident that lead to your rather intimate proceedings yesterday, I would like to note."

"He's mine. Mine..." The sterling blue haired girl growled.

"Of course he is. But understand his view. You have a way into his mind that is seemingly impossible for anyone else. Feel his feelings. You know he can't hide from you." Nora instructed, not mentioning her conversation with Tenma. If she played her card rights, she could get both females to co-exist casually. A sure fire way to Dutch's happiness.

"Mmmmm." Vale grumbled.

Nora gave pat her a reassuring on the head. "Still, now that you're fired up, let's say we start the next stage of our training. You need to learn to fight in hand to hand combat, for your safety. Not to mention you could learn certain..ah..moves to immobilize your opponent."

"I see. But how can I learn so fast?"

The brunette teacher grinned. "That's the power of your bond. Just like how you gave instructions to Dutch to brush your hair, you can draw skills from him. The two of you can effectively share skills between each other. Reach into his memory and draw from his experience."

Vale nodded, before closing her eyes. She reached into Dutch's memories and selected the ones relevant to her. Her mind feeling the movement, she felt one of the memories, her body following the recorded actions.

The sensation of blocking something broke her trance. She blinked in surprise at what she saw, her arm blocking Nora's fist easily. The brunette smiled proudly.

"There we go. This should speed up your training tremendously. Your main issue is actually getting used to synchronizing with his memories while being active at the same time. At the end of the training, our goal is to get you to use his memories like your own. That way, you would be able to fight like him while still being active."

Vale simply kept blinking at the sight of her block. "Wow." She breathed in amazement.

Nora grinned before stepping back. "Now try one of his attacks."

Vale nodded tentatively before closing her eyes. She chose another memory and felt it, her legs pushing her body forward as her hands reached out. Seemingly natural, Vale grabbed, turned and twisted the hand she caught.

A surprised yelp broke her concentration this time. She opened her eyes to see Nora on the ground, the fragment's arm held by her in a clearly painful position.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Vale apologized, releasing her victim hurriedly. The entity blushed in embarrassment as she helped Nora to her feet.

"It's okay. Now we do know that you can put the hurt onto people, we can work from there." The brunette instructed wincing.

Despite her words, Vale still stepped back from her, her expression sad. Nora sighed, giving her a reassuring pat on the head.

"Come on, it's combat training. Someone is bound to get hurt. Just think of it as training pain to prevent combat pain."

Vale nodded reluctantly. That drew another sigh from her teacher, who stabbed her finger into her side, drawing a yip from the girl.

"Lighten up. Or I will do it again." She warned.

Vale glared at the brunette angrily before closing her eyes. Nora grinned as she dodged the attack.

* * *

><p>Forest road<p>

Traders route

They had been walking for a few hours now and Dutch could say with some degree of conviction that his partner was happier.

Perhaps the most telling was the ghost of a smile on her lips. While he wouldn't expect a spring in her step or a happy aura, that smile said a lot of her. Maybe he should have thought more before starting such a course of action.

Not that he was complaining. Tenma's hands had a comfortable warmth to them and her skin was lovely and smooth despite her swords-woman training. Include her gentle touch and he had nothing to complain about.

Still, he kept his mind on the practical aspects of the gesture. If they were to remain as partners, he had to ensure that she would recognize his touch, lest she actually managed to kill him. While his death would weight little in the grand scheme of things, there were a lot of people who would be either heartbroken, shattered or plain bloodthirsty if he died.

However, he noted that their hands had slowly graduated from simply holding each other to being interlinked. Someone was liking it a little too much.

Luckily, it appeared that something would disrupt their contact. A rather suspect dull, red stain on the rutted surface, which grew closer at each step.

"Tenma, stop. What's that?" He started as he scanned it with his eyes. It wasn't a pool of blood, that was for sure. But it seemed red all the same.

Tenma glanced at the area, her youkai senses picking up the identity of the substance. "It's blood, human, must be a lone trader who was caught by a youkai." She answered, a sad indifference in her voice. Such an event was sadly common in the wilds, since feral youkai were still in abundance. It was a matter of balance for the barrier and it's unfortunate implications were ones that could not be changed.

"I see. But there's something there too. A knife it seems." Dutch noted as he released their hands and walked up to it. The blade lay on the ground, small and sporting a piece of paper tied to its hilt.

"Dutch, this blade belonged to a father. That is a charm for good luck for parents." Tenma whispered, the orphanage still fresh on their minds.

"Poor sod. Must have been taken unaware." He grumbled ruefully. Looking at the object, he picked it up and followed the blood trail, tracing its path with his eyes. Something deep within him pulled at his mind, instructing him to follow the spattery trail.

"Tenma, can you wait here? I've got to return this knife." Grimacing he phased in his pistol.

The tengu lord gave him an incredulous stare. "Dutch, you are looking for a dead man."

"Don't tell me you wouldn't want to lie in death with your blade in hand."

That logic made her sigh. "Fine. But I'm following. This place isn't safe for a human." She warned as air formed a circle around her.

Her partner nodded before they both set off, following the trail of blood as it led deeper into the forest. It wasn't a long trek before they came across the sound of something digging into food. The faint rip of flesh and crunch of bone gave away the location of the body and it's defiler.

The partners both crept up to the source of the sound, which was walled around by the buttress roots of a tree. Dutch crept up to the roots and peaked over, expecting to find something similar to the mountain youkai that once screamed for his blood.

What he got was much tamer, at least in the looks department. The predator was a girl, age-wise probably twelve, possibly younger. She was dressed in a soot black vest and skirt with a white blouse underneath, though her white blouse now had blood staining it. Amber blond hair fell messily towards her small shoulders, while a ribbon tied to her left side drew her hair up into a small ponytail. Her eyes were bright, ruby red, the opposite of the tengu next to him.

He phased away his pistol, Tenma threw him a curious look after seeing his actions.

"She didn't kill him. The blood spatter patterns on her sleeves tell me so." He whispered back. "So there is no need to avenge her for him. She is only the final outcome."

He moved out of cover, feeling the force of Tenma's eyes drilling into his back and casually walked up to the youkai.

"Good morning." He greeted her smiling as he kept the knife hidden behind his back. No need to alarm her.

The youkai glanced at him. "Are you going to steal my breakfast?" She asked, as she bit on a section of thigh, her voice just as young as her appearance.

"No not really. I'm just here to return an item." He answered, showing her the knife, its blade in his hand. Satisfied with his answer, the youkai returned to her meal. Dutch walked up beside her and kneeled down at her side, where he placed the knife on his bloodied hand.

"You lived and affected the world around you. That's more than enough for anything." He whispered. He spotted a small bag tied to the man's waist and reached for it, peeking inside to see mushrooms.

'His family should have this.' He thought before slipping the bag into his pocket. He gave the corpse a nod before rising to leave, when something caught his eye.

Glancing at the corpse, he noted that the blood trails originated from the man's neck. Bending down once again, he examined the neck with his enhanced sight and spotted a telltale red line on his throat. The line was too straight, too thin. That meant only one thing.

To be sure, he reached for the neck. The nanites in his blood reacted to the presence of a substance, present in the slashed area, as his finger confirmed his suspicions.

Dutch's mind registered the distinctive clicking of a radiation detector, an addition that his enhancements gave.

He tightened his eyes. Yukari's words finally made sense to him. Those words weren't redundant, they were warning him of the threat.

"Thank you, your death has revealed the enemy's intentions." He breathed to the corpse, even as the youkai continued to feed upon it.

"Is that so~" The dainty little youkai sang. Dutch turned and left, walking away from the scene. Tenma met him along the way, her eyes questioning him.

"I know what she meant." He answered as they returned to the forest road. "I know what to do."

"You don't seem to like it." She noted.

Dutch chuckled. "Let's just say it happened in the past."

"Ara, Ara~ This is interesting. A human and a tengu together. A Karasu no less."

The duo turned to the speaker, surprised by the sudden appearance. Even Tenma, with her eons of experience, had not detected this new presence.

What stared back at them was a woman, one it seemed, with a graceful aura about her. She had wavy hair, the hue of butter and streaked with chocolate and fawn stripes. A medium sized, striped, snail shell hat, with ribbons woven through holes running along the base and tied into an elaborate bow in the front, sat perched upon her crown. Her attire was a long, chalcedony white, bell shaped dress, stippled with stripes of mousse brown, amber yellow and caramel which decorated the hem. A brown blouse with a white frilled collar, swathed her chest and gave way to a pair of bell like sleeves of the same hue as her dress.

"Oh I don't think so. I'm sure that there are earlier examples, except this time we aren't trying to tear out each others' throats." Dutch retorted.

The woman giggled, the sound of wind chimes in a breeze. "Indeed. Perhaps you are willing to accept another on the same path?" She offered.

"If we walk the same journey, I don't see why not."

The woman giggled again. "Ara~ you're special for a human. Such a gentle heart." She complimented, walking up to him.

"It's only natural for travelers on the same path to form a group." Came his answer as the three started back on their road.

"Ah, but to see a human so trusting, it is an indicator of strength. I'm sure you have such strength in abundance. May I, Katatsumuri Kaimi, a humble Snail Princess, shelter under that strength?" She asked, gently touching his arm.

Her target grinned. "Sure, why not. Dutch Kotozaki at your service, with his Karasu Tengu partner Teri for assistance.

Tenma grabbed his other hand and gripped it tightly. Dutch turned back to see her very on edge, her eyes blazing with a possessive tinge.

His eyes questioned her silently, to which she answered him with a defensive glare. Unsure of the source of her reaction, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hmmmm? It seems that you got hurt recently. You poor thing." Kaimi crooned as she examined the healing set of claw marks on his right arm.

"Nah, it's fine. It was just an accident." Dutch answered her, looking at the marks. He winced a bit as he noted that even with his enhanced healing rate, the marks would scar.

"Oh, an accident? But you don't seem clumsy, perhaps your partner had something to do with it?"

Tenma's grip on Dutch's hand loosened as guilt overcame her. It was her fault after all she acknowledged, since the injury happened during a mission assigned by her.

Her partner answered her with a strong but gentle squeeze. The Tengu lord widened her eyes at the gesture, surprised.

"No, it happened before we met. I misread the situation and hurt myself."

"Ara~ You poor thing indeed. Was it troublesome to adjust to your partner? After all, one would think of her as being different." Kaimi questioned.

Dutch smiled. "No more different than you or me."

"Oh but she is quite different from you. After all, we don't have the extras that she has on her back. It must be hard, being next to someone that could easily fly away. Wouldn't you prefer far more comparable company?" Kaimi offered as she pressed herself against his arm.

Dutch smiled. "As tempting as your offer sounds, we are indebted to each other. So not at this current time."

"Ara~ but Tengu are such a violent group. Wouldn't gentler company better suffice?"

Tenma returned the strong grip he sent her, albeit with a more conquering strength to it. Dutch let her hold on, sighing mentally at her rather strange recent behavior.

"She hasn't been quite the dangerous one. Nothing that I would fear just yet." He answered as the first glimpses of buildings appeared on the road ahead.

"Oh, it seems we are getting close. Perhaps another time then~" Kaimi sang as she looked at the human village in the distance.

Dutch gave her a curious look. "Where would you go? There is only the forest route."

"Ara~ That, only a princess would know. My business here is done. I thank you for your strength and your kindness." She said before leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Until we meet again, Dutch." Her words trailed off suggestively as she melted into the forest undergrowth, her graceful steps leading her into the dense, viridian foliage.

He turned back to Tenma, who sported a furious expression.

"Look, it was a harmless gesture."

The tengu growled at his words. "Fine." She grumbled. After all, the intruder was already gone.

The two made their way towards the village, releasing their hands along the way, to dissuade wrong ideas.

"Tenma, what's your experience here?" Dutch murmured as they got closer to the outskirts of the village, where lush farmlands spread out before them. A wooden tower stood beside the path ahead of them, distant structures, the village proper, lay behind it.

"They are just as protective as us. Don't expect any quarter from them, even if you are a human."

They walked up to the tower, a simple two story construct of wood, reminiscent of the old structures Dutch had seen in history books.

"Halt!" A voice commanded, as a group of men filed out of the tower. Each held a rifle in his hands, a long barreled weapon with a bolt action lever, similar to the ones used exactly a hundred years ago.

And then the ground around them rippled to life as well, as more men appeared from the ground, hidden in the spider holes from which they now emerged. More rifles were aimed at the two as the men surrounded them.

"Well poopberries." Dutch whispered as he looked around.


	36. Reversed Settings

I'M BACK!*ducks tree branches*

I'm really sorry for the long wait. There was the lunar new year, stuff and more stuff. Then there was even more stuff.

Still, have this chapter to sate your thirst. The usual blabber goes here and big thanks goes to **Ban3** again, as usually for editing this.

* * *

><p><em>Apparently, my name is a pile of shit. It literally is a series of random names cobbled together for the sake of identity. Then again, most of our names were. Project Youkai candidates came from wide variety of different sources and one doesn't mean location. I discovered files that labeled my closest companions and me as a Triangle of origins. Apparently, they want to see if a team assembled from three different origins would have any sort of variations, even though we don't have much memory of our pre-project past. Some were born from a well-selected gene pool, via the help of surrogate mothers. Others were taken from orphanages, the result of genetic tracing. The lucky or perhaps, unlucky ones where those who were selected from families, loving mothers and fathers who would see their dreams shattered by sudden loss. They were allowed to keep their names and had a world to return, as different as that world was. The process of returning was hard on both sides, more so for the candidates, whose only experience of a family was the fellow comrades they had. Meanwhile, Security and Secrecy concerns dominated minds of the planners of these events. The meets took place in utmost secrecy and only after long consideration. Society cannot be allowed to discover us. We would not let the relative freedom granted by the Project fall be exchanged for the peaceful laws of a fragile system.<em>-Notes by Office of Physics operative(ret) Dutch Kotozaki, submitted to the Crypt for storage(Vault Ember).

Human village

If you told Dutch that he would be in danger of dying at the hands... or rather the blades of humans in a world made to preserve non-humans, he would probably agree with you, at least on the homicidal humans part. After all, predictable human behaviors rarely change across the lands. Those living in wild lands were bound to be suspicious, even of their own kind.

But if you said that he would be in danger along with a beautiful woman of non-human origin while mentally bonded with an adorable avatar of a device of extraterrestrial design, well, he might believe you. Barely. After all, at this point the tale was so impossible, so out of this world that it could very well fall in the realm of possibility.

All of these thoughts were far from his mind as he watched the circle of men that surrounded him. What was closer were urgent thoughts regarding what would come next, even though it would be easy for him to turn it around very quickly.

Glancing around, he knew exactly where each of them were aiming. If he so wished, lines showing each and every one of their trajectories could appear in his vision. He could force them to fire and then use Fastsight to get him and Tenma down onto the ground before the bolts could reach either of them.

He knew which shots would connect, would strike to rip the life from the bodies of these villages. He would take care of the rest via blade and pistol, the required actions, necessary to finish them had already been planned and committed to muscle memory. All it would take was a spark, a single action to set off this sequence of events.

As he tensed up, his body coiling in anticipation of the attack, he shook himself out of the battle haze. He blinked as his vision blurred between the present and future, his view switching between a standing circle of men and one formed by bodies on the ground.

'You're letting your instincts get the better of you, Ember 3...'

He started, glancing behind him wildly. That voice, so comfortingly close and yet so wispily faint. No, it couldn't be. It was impossible. She was on the other side of the barrier.

"Nora?" He breathed, so lightly only Tenma could hear. Her eyebrows tightened infinitesimally as she heard that name.

Their opponents, unable to see the events past, simply kept their rifles up.

"What's your business here?" One of the villagers asked.

His question went unanswered as Dutch broke through the battle haze in his mind. These were simple villagers, not bloodthirsty mercenaries. He should not treat them the same as those from his past.

"Just passing through with my partner." He returned, placing emphasis on his companion. "We mean you guys no harm."

"Oh yeah? Well I don't trust you. You and your youkai..." The man spat the word out, as if it was a dirty word."...can just turn around and leave. We don't need the likes of collaborators like you here."

"And on whose authority can you turn them away Kei? Whose, pray tell?" A cold voice inquired from behind them. The circle split to show a man, his hair hued with the salt and pepper colours of age, one long scar ran along his forehead, glaring at the armed men.

The leader of the group choked under his breath. "Jack!" He shouted fearfully.

"Tell me. Otherwise get out of my sight." He growled. The leader slunk dejectedly back towards the village.

"I apologize for the rude treatment that you received but we have to be sure. Have to watch for shape-shifters trying to get in. You don't look like someone from around here though." The man, now named Jack, stated.

"Indeed. I'm from the outside." Dutch answered.

"I see." Jack answered, as his eyes froze. "Perhaps you would like to tell me what is the capital of South Africa?"

"Pretoria, Cape Town, or Bloemfontein? Their government is divided among three different cities after all." Dutch remarked.

His answer made Jack smile brightly. "He's genuine people. Let him go."

The villagers surrounding them lowered their weapons. Jack walked forth and stuck out a hand, one Dutch shook gratefully. "I must apologize again for this. We had shape-shifters use that excuse before."

"I see." Dutch mused as he and Tenma followed Jack, who turned around and walked back to the village.

"They use that excuse as a free get in card, since it allows them to claim ignorance. After a few incidents, we had to question everyone using that excuse." Their guide explained.

"What about that man, Kei?" Dutch questioned.

"Him? He can go sulk back home. Your... partner isn't a feral youkai. We have no issue with her."

"I see."

* * *

><p>Memory<p>

Depth Watcher

"Why did you do that?" Vale asked as Nora dabbed a cotton swab on her forehead, where a line of red crossed it. The entity winced as the alcohol came in to contact with her skin.

Nora smiled. "He's letting his instincts take over him. Haven't you noticed his reaction to fighting humans? The very idea of fighting them brings back all his skills, his memories. Just like Tenma, he needed to break the hold the memories had on him, otherwise something bad could happen. My voice suffices."

Her job done, she packed away her medical kit, which disappeared immediately afterwards, and walked to the railing of the helicopter deck, taking a long breath of the salty air. Her eyes twinkled in the light as she sifted through the memories, searching for one that would mean something.

"You're feeling desperate about him aren't you? After all, by taking the Sage's mission, he's exposing himself to serious danger, I'm right aren't I ?" She questioned.

Vale nodded fearfully. "It's like...I was made to be with him. And to know that I can lose him...it feels so hollow, just the thought of it. It's like we are together and alone in our minds. I can feel him, right now, his presence. A strong presence. When he's gone, my head just feel empty and…and I don't want it to be empty." She whispered.

"Then it won't be. He will return. If you don't trust in his loyalty, trust in his skills. He won't go down that easily."

"But still..." She continued. "Haven't you felt the same?"

Nora nodded. "More so for him and his fellow. Those two would throw themselves in front of a car for me and I have to make sure that never happens."

She walked back to the entity, pulling out a sphere of memory. "Come then. This one is a mix of his and mine. You are not the only one who needs him."

* * *

><p>Ukraine<p>

3 years ago

Nuclear Denial Operation

Safe house

"We are running out of time guys." Nora warned, as she watched the camera footage transmitted back to her via helmet-mounted cameras.

"Why don't you come over here and help? We could swap places." Dutch shot back, as he took out a man with a series of pistol shots.

"I think we all know why I'm here." Their partner answered, her voice thick with exasperation, as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Aye. I was actually surprised that you got out of those restraints that fast. We shouldn't have left you in the kitchen." Aden quipped, keeping a squad of men behind cover with a quick burst of his RPD light machine gun. His targets were soon taken out of commission with a well timed grenade, thrown by his partner.

"Just keep yourselves safe and get the nuke."

Dutch grinned as he leaned against a door. "Well, seeing that it is behind this door, I say the latter is easily accomplished."

"On three. One, two, three!" Aden yelled as Dutch kicked the door down and he rushed in, his light machine gun firing away. But there was nothing for it to shoot at, just a grey oblong device in the middle of the room.

"We have the nuke. Disarming now." Dutch announced as his partner moved to cover the door.

Taking out the contents of a tool kit from his pocket, he proceeded to unscrew the screws, which connected to a panel.

As he worked, he asked their female partner jovially."So Nora, you want this gift-"

Nora frowned at the sudden cut. "Dutch? You suddenly cut off."

But her question got no answer as the two screens in front of her gave her only static.

"Guys?" Came her fearful query when suddenly, every single electronic device around her died. The two screens in front of her simply displayed blackness.

"No, no no no..." Nora whispered as she rose from her seat drunkenly, her heart clenched with fear.

She ran to the window, where light blazed through it like a high intensity spotlight, but she chose to ignore it. Because the answer was too painful.

As she looked out the window, her eyes zoomed on a bright spot in the distance, where an ominous mushroom cloud rose above a man-made sun.

"No!" Nora cried.

And she shot out of her sleep. Panting frantically, her eyes scanned the room wildly, searching for proof that her dream wasn't real.

Trembling, she got off the bed, her feet mindlessly bringing her to the door, her heart dreading the answer. Desperate eyes sought a sign, any sign, that her nightmare wasn't true.

She peered out into the darkness of the corridor, where light beamed around the edges of a door. Her body slouched in soothing relief, the fearful energy that held her dissipating into nothingness. Her limbs suddenly powerless, she sat down at the door, legs tucked in, and sobbed quietly there.

"Nora?"

The young women looked up at one of her constants. Dutch knelt down to her, his face full of concern as he put aside the cup he held in his hand.

"I'm okay." She choked out. "It was just a bad dream."

"Sure doesn't look like it. Come on, we got space in our room." Her fellow invited as he helped her up. Nora followed him quietly, letting him lead her to the room.

Inside, Aden typed on a laptop as he lay on a king sized bed. He looked up to give the two a curious glance.

"Nightmare." Dutch filled him in. The blond man nodded as he shifted position to make space for their latest bed-mate, moving as far as he could to the side of the bed.

Carefully, Dutch brought Nora to the bed, as if she was a delicate piece of glass. He helped her onto the bed, letting her make herself comfortable before climbing onto the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Aden asked softly.

"Comfortable. Why do the two of you share beds?" Nora whispered back.

Dutch grinned softly. "Makes it easier for us to compare reports. That way, no one is going to fault us for bad bookkeeping. But it's not about us, it's you. How bad was it?"

"I thought I lost you both. I..." She whimpered.

"Shhhhhh. It's okay. We're here now and we'll still be here in the morning." Aden whispered.

Their female partner nodded silently. With a relieved sigh, she closed her eyes, sleep soon claiming her.

The two men regarded the sleeping woman in between them. "You know, someone told me that she seemed the strongest out of all of us." Aden noted.

Dutch smiled. "She's strong because we're here to hold her up. Let's keep it that way." He announced as he covered her sleeping form with a blanket.

"Aye. Sleep well woman. We will protect you for as long as you need." Aden whispered.

* * *

><p>"Oh. Wow." Nora breathed.<p>

Vale stared at her tear stained face as the woman hurriedly wiped more from her eyes.

"It's nothing. No really. It's nothing." The brunette said as Vale closed in for a hug.

"I understand." The entity whispered.

The memory fragment openly let her tears out, wet emotions coursing down her face. "It's just...just that they cared so much about me. They were always so accommodating. They saw me for what I was, a scared girl who was the weakest out of them and turned it about. Held me up on a pedestal and supported me all the way."

She choked on her words as they both held each other. "They willingly tied me up and left me behind because they thought that at the end of the day, if I lived, then they had done something right. That I was worth more than them."

"So please, don't be hard on him. All he wants is for you to be safe in any event and he's not afraid to sacrifice himself for it. By all means, discourage him and turn him away but don't hurt him over it. It's simply him doing what he thinks is right."

Vale nodded. "I will."

She released herself from the hug and stepped back into the portal that appeared behind her. Nora was left alone, as she stared at the paused memory, proudly watching as her two constants guarded her.

* * *

><p>Human village<p>

Even though they were in a different place altogether, with completely different populations, Dutch felt the behavior of the people here was only slightly different from those of the Youkai Market.

One of the differences was that the target of the attention was diverted away from him to his youkai partner. The people regarded her with indifferent aversion, like she was a distasteful part of the background. He received far more emotion, although the kind of emotion given was pretty insulting, in his view. He could see pity in their eyes, as if they gave him their sympathies for being with a being different from them.

Even then, he could see suspicion, a wary regard of his obviously outsider appearance. Given their background, he wouldn't be surprised that most in this village held a conservative view of life and thus, would be guarded towards him. Still, the generosity of the old lady from the last time reminded him that there is kindness in the village.

Their guide though, seemed rather casual about his situation, if his lazy grin was any indication. Dutch made a note to inquire about any tavern that had a recent change of ownership. If Yukari had kept her word, then he had a base from which to start. A small favour, one that could not measure up to the enormous price she put on his head.

Now that he had a long time to think about the changes he wrought, he saw a clearer picture. The addition of the projectile change to the spell-card rules was too easy, too simplified. Ironically, it was Yukari who unveiled part of the picture for him, with her observation that the sequences that he created for Vale were flawed magically. It would mean that the changes that he set in had to be flawed as well, since it was set at a time when his experience of the vault was essentially nothing. Even now, his own knowledge of the vault was infinitesimal.

That could only mean one thing. For a flawed equation to work, something had to be changed. And since he would know if any change happened on his side, that meant that Yukari must have set up in anticipation for such an endeavour. The question now became that of whether he was a pawn all along, or not.

Not that it mattered to him. The answer would mean little to him, for his decision would still be the same. Once more into the breach.

As he indulged in his musings, a brush from Tenma disrupted his thought. Both her and Jack stared at him, awaiting his return to reality.

"Back to the land of the living? Good. I was wondering if we would fall asleep before you actually came back." Their guide started.

"Jack Morris, at your service. I must apologize again for the welcome you received. Ever since the awakening, the guard has been pretty jumpy about new visitors. Plus, with your companion, extra caution had to be taken, and that's not including shape-shifters."

"I see. What do you mean by awakening?" Dutch questioned.

"A week or so ago, everyone got awoken in the middle of the night. It was strange but nothing else happened, other then the forest fairies being mildly irritating. Still, we decided to beef up security for a while. A pity you came today. We were about to order a stand down tomorrow."

The outsider human nodded. "Well, bad things happen I guess. Still, I guess we should thank you for your intervention."

Jack grinned. "No worries. After all, we are all perfectly fine rational beings aren't we?"

"So what would you suggest we do now?" Tenma inquired.

The villager scratched his head. "Frankly, I would recommend that you leave as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong, I have got nothing against you but most folks here don't really sit on the fence. In fact, I would point you to the mountain villages. The guys there are friendlier towards youkai and the lizardman population have some really strange customs. A lot more entertaining than boring old here."

Dutch grinned. "Sitting on the fence? That doesn't seem like something someone here would say."

"And it isn't. Fell in here twelve years ago and have been stuck here ever since. Got this souvenir when I was being a cocky fool, trying to go hunting with a gun." Jack said, pointing out the scar on his head. "You're pretty much stuck here just like me, so take it from me, be cautious."

"I have had my fair share of knocks." Dutch returned. "We have matters to attend to here, so I regret that we'll be in your hair for a while. Got a suggestion for where to stay?"

"Well, most taverns wouldn't dare provide lodging for your company but there's the Green Fields, if you want. It's on the outer edge of the village, so contact with the people would be reduced. And on the plus side, I heard its new owner is pretty open to anyone."

"I see. Anything else?"

Jack nodded. "Just a tip but if you are going to shop here, I recommend that you do it around this area." He indicated. "This place is mainly for people from the Outside and their attitudes about your partner should be more casual. Not to mention all the stuff here definitely caters more to outsiders."

Dutch nodded as he scanned the place, noting the more modern design of the buildings around him. "Thanks for the info. You got a map of this place?"

"Yeah, right here. It's on the house."

He took the paper and stuck out his hand. "I don't think I introduced myself yet. Dutch Kotozaki and his partner Teri. Thanks for all the help."

Jack shook his hand, nodding. "No problems. Good luck and watch yourself here. You better find some lodging quickly. Sun's going down soon and even Tengu aren't invincible. Now if you don't mind, I must return to my duties."

The duo watched as the man turned around and walked back the way he came. "Friendly guy isn't he? If only I had the same escort from your village." Dutch teased as he opened the map.

"We too were on alert. In fact, the only reason that I summoned you was because your appearance after such an event was suspicious. Attacking the Hakurou was a side note, a convenient test, one that I didn't think would succeed." Tenma answered.

"And look where we are now. Two travellers, on a path to save the world. Not exactly a series of predictable circumstances."

"And yet, I feel little regret. You have given this Karasu an adventure to experience... A break, as you so wrote." The silver haired woman returned, as her hand held his for a quick, hidden squeeze.

"You know, I wouldn't call it a break if the wrong ending results in the destruction of what you love." Dutch muttered.

"Well, then, let's not let that happen." Tenma answered.

They had been walking for a while now, and Jack's words were fulfilled, as the setting sun once again cast its orange and gold glow over the land. A grey-bluish tinge seemed to descend upon the land, as light slowly faded away in tandem to time.

The couple were still making their way to the tavern, as Dutch glanced at his map ever so often to ensure that he did get lost. He noted that the tavern was situated close to one of the routes entering the village along its outskirts, a good position to be considering the apparent open nature of its owner, allowing it to easily receive guests while keeping the common folk away with distance.

The increasing scarcity of people as well as the decreasing number of residential buildings told him that he was on the right track. And with lesser people, it helped to discern the suspicious ones.

A quick glance behind confirmed his suspicions. A pair of men, dressed in everyday shirts and pants walked casually behind them, their faces any but that. A bored glare discouraged any staring but he had seen enough. Those two had the look of a hunger for power, of the need to intimidate.

After running though the possibilities in his head, Dutch concluded that Tenma could be a draw for them. While she had wisely removed her Tokin, any magically inclined person could easily spot her youkai nature, although not her tengu type. He allowed a small grin at the thought of her easily handling these two, even if they came equipped to hurt her.

But he perished the idea afterwards. It would be a bad move to draw any sort of attention right now, especially when his opponents did not even know of his existence. Discretion was the key now, not action.

So he checked his map and his eyes found a detour route that entered into one of the village main roads coming up along a turn that would suffice. Casually, he guided the two of them to the side of the street, following the path of the street before turning into the street ahead.

As they looked into the daytime crowd returning back home, Dutch guided Tenma into another turn, bringing her into an alleyway. Signalling for her to be quiet, he watched the entrance as the two men walked into view, standing still as if annoyed that their prey had seemingly vanished into the busy road ahead. However, they carried on, walking into the road, away from their quarry.

"Those two had the look of trouble about the, so I diverted us for a while. We'll wait here for a while before returning to the road. Right now, our opponent does not know of our existence so not drawing attention to us should be our priority." He explained, eyes scanning the entrance just in case.

"I see." Tenma intoned as a small thrill arose in her, at the thought of being hunted in a village full of people. A small thrill, but it was a thrill that revealed something to her. Like the final chip of a carving, it revealed a desire that was slowly building up in her.

"I bet you never had such an experience in a village before did you?" Dutch proclaimed as he watched the entrance of the alley.

A hand on his shoulder made him turn to his companion, who secured her hold with her other hand on the corresponding shoulder.

"No, I haven't." She said, before leaning in.

Just like before, Dutch was taken by surprise by the kiss. And his partner was more assertive compared to his soulmate, pressing him against the alley wall, her eyes closed as her human responded in kind.

They broke apart to stare at each other, Dutch lost for words. He realized he expected this eventually, unconsciously, and his body gave up any protest to her move, just like before.

"Thank you, for everything you have given me and for everything that is promised in the future." She whispered, her silky voice drawing him in.

"It's my pleasure."

She kissed him again and he deepened it in return, light moans issuing from both of them as their hands joined each other. Try as he might, Dutch couldn't fight her for long, his defenses crumbling under her power as she entered and pillaged the inside of his mouth, seeking, it seemed, to leave a mark on him. The tastes of both sides flooding their minds as she pressed herself against him, trapped between a wall and a lovely woman.

Finally, she broke away from him. Their breaths fluttered as they stared into each other's eyes, a satisfied flush on Tenma.

" Congratulations, Dutch. You have won this tengu's affections. I hope you are prepared for the price." She whispered, her silky voice clotting his thoughts, before releasing him and leaving the alley.

Dutch stared at the wall as he marshaled his thoughts. And yet it was everything, but a mess. In fact, they formed a painting, drawn by emotion, a master-crafted canvas that was already complete. Yet in his hand was a paintbrush, the liquid within holding the power to change forever the content of the canvas.

Would he choose so? A single stroke, and the canvas would be completely different. And Dutch realized that was the heart of his relationship. Either Vale or Tenma.

He took in a shuddering breath. He had to choose, to answer to himself.

Time. He needed time. Time to learn and time to decide his heart.

He let out his breath in a sigh. He would have a better place to think in a cozy place if he reached the tavern. Taking the map from his pocket, he unfurled the paper and checked the map. It was close.

Folding the paper, he took a couple of breaths before turning and leaving the alley.

Tenma glanced at him with questioning eyes.

"We're close. Just a short walk." He answered. She nodded as they both trudged on.

The journey was a silent one, each deep in their own thoughts. Dutch searched for his soul mate, a slight tugging at their bond.

'Vale?'

He got a yawn in return, mental images of her stretching out her sleepiness as she rose from a bed appeared in his mind. As he looked at the images of her, Dutch felt as if he was looked at her anew.

He admired her crystalline wings, the feathered appendages spread out in their full glory. Her adorable face, sky blue eyes still clouded with sleepiness, giving her an lovable awakening look. Her body, moderately developed for her age look, completing the image of her and making her seem like an angel.

His heart ached as he realized he wanted to hold her in his arms, to feel her presence close to him. That youthful lively presence that filled his time with peace.

'Dako?' Vale asked as she rubbed her eye awake.

Originally, he only wanted to hear her voice. But now, Dutch knew what he had to do. He had to promise her.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those words. I promise to be less reckless.' He apologized.

Vale nodded, Dutch feeling her answer like it was his own. 'It's okay. I understand.' She answered, her presence reaching over their bond to wrap around him, like a hug that reached deeper than touch, flooding him with her emotions. It gave him a small, peaceful smile.

'Thank you. I'll see you soon.' He finished, his soft words as loud as day too the angelic entity.

'Hmm.' Her angelic voice mumbled tiredly.

Returning to the present, He looked up at the tavern they had stopped at, the simple two story building exuded a warm homely feel. Light gleamed from the windows as shadows and silhouettes danced behind them, the sound of merry chatter drifting through the walls.

"Well then, shall we?" Dutch opened the door and invited as he motioned to her to enter first. Tenma nodded as she entered, Dutch following her into the cool interior of the tavern.

"Good evening guests." A scarred man greeted as he bowed to them, veiled surprised in his eyes at the newcomers.

Dutch nodded slightly behind Tenma's back, his eyes signalling for the man to carry on. Respectfully following, the man continued, seemingly unfazed by the communication.

"We have been expecting you. Please, follow me." He continued. Dutch and Tenma joined him as he lead them into the tavern, passing rooms of chattering men and woman, most dressed in travelling attire.

"Lodging have already been reserved for you. Your companions have also already arrived and are waiting for you in a private room." The man continued.

"Business seems good for you." Dutch noted.

"It may seem so but I still have much to learn."

They continued on until they entered into a much quieter part of the tavern, where the rooms were closed off and the sounds were gone.

"Each room here has a silencing ward, for you to discuss your matters in quiet. Your words are safe here." Their guide informed them, stopping at a door. He bowed again, before leaving them, head lowered respectfully.

Dutch grinned. "Well then, let's see what behind the door." He said before sliding it open.

The two occupants, sitting down at a low table, inside made him smile brightly. "Maribel, Renko!" He exclaimed as he reunited with his companions. Renko was the first to rise, smiling in return at the reappearance of their friend.

"Renko, stop!" Maribel shouted, leveling a danmaku bolt at Dutch.

"You're not Dutch! Who are you?" She demanded as she called forth more bolts.


	37. The other edge of the spear

Im back!

Apologies for the long wait. School, unexpected setbacks and games took slowed down progress. Still, I have managed to poop out another long one. Hope it will be satisfactory.

Progress outlook for the year ahead looks the same as school slows down some more. Still, i will try to release chapters and fast as possible.

Thanks goes to **Ban3** for the excellent work as usual and apologies for breaking the chain of cliffhangers. spoiler!

* * *

><p>37<p>

_Despite Project Youkai panoply of combat personnel, we were the last resort. The leaders, whoever they were, knew that even with a highly successful first batch, they could never bring out the numbers that could warrant any sort of military victory. Instead, their priority was civilian control, where careful and effective positioning of personnel could ensure the control of governments. While the alpha batch had at the very least two thousand personnel in the different combat programs, the civilian program had easily twice that number, going from the very top to the very bottom. A massive shadow government were being trained from childhood to ensure control of the world, in every sector of public life. From the intricacies of the medical field to the working cogs of government, everything was included. Simple peace was preferable to savage fighting. Thus, when everything fell apart, the people being trained simply took the reins and put their training to work. Soon after this, the highly successful Traxus corporation appeared in the fortune 500 list, it's notability being the rather high number of youthful people in its management ranks_.-Records on Post-Project fall(compiled by Dutch Kotozaki, Office of Physics operative(ret))

37

The day before

Morning

"Why are we even up so early?" Renko grumbled as she rubbed her eyes, sleepily looking at the dark sky overhead. Her eyes told her the exact time she had been roused from her much needed rest and this only helped to add irritation to her already tense emotions.

Sanae giggled, the shrine maiden was wide awake from countless days of early morning training. Compared to her drowsy compatriot, she was the essence of health, her image seemingly ready to radiate with contained power.

"Come on now. Morning is the best time to start training. It gets the heart pumping." She proclaimed cheerfully to Renko, who started to sway dreamily, too sleepy to even stay up for long.

"Stars..." The brunette slurred, falling back into the comforting cloak of sleep. Even with her rapidly dissipating awareness she marveled at how sleep felt so much like falling, deeper and deeper.

"Whoa. Don't want to wake you up by hurting yourself." Her green haired trainer remarked as she caught Renko before she could hit the ground.

"Just let me sleep." Renko moaned as she started to rise from the ground, helped up by Sanae. She unthinkingly looked at the mountain ground, her sleepy mind just simply accepting the sight of her eyes as natural. Even as Sanae's flight path crossed into water, she looked at the mirroring liquid without thought nor reason.

Sanae simply sighed before dropping the brunette into the water, to the surprise of the woman.

Renko burst out of the water, spluttering out said liquid. "Are you mad!" She yelled at the flying shrine maiden. "I could have drowned!"

"Good, now you are awake." Sanae sang, a note of friendly derision clearly rang within this statement as she hovered over her. "We can actually start."

Renko growled before rising out of the water, flying off at the younger lady like a hornet homing in on a bee. Except said bee had far more firepower than she had.

Bright lights lit up the night sky.

* * *

><p>Maribel dodged danmaku with tired ease, as a storm of fire spun around her in a spiral of pure agonizing energy. Her movements limited by the reduced area that she could move, she was reduced to dodging by a hair's breadth, the shots grazing her skin or more routinely bursting against it.<p>

Her mind questioned the length of time she had been awake. All sense of time had disappeared the moment she was sucked in Yukari's training, with no clue nor hint as to how long her training had been going on. It could have been hours or days since her torture started.

This line of thought however, was quickly vanquished as a danmaku shot punished her for her moment of distraction. She returned to avoiding the bullets, the energy projectiles flying from every direction.

Up, down, left, left, right. Her mind commanded, her movements no more varied than those of a video game. All advanced levels of thought were avoided, as her entire mind dedicated itself to the more primal need of quick reactions, mental pathways that once contemplated the psychological aspect of human life now flowing with the basic need to avoid the pain.

As she tilted out of another shot, another projectile flew in from the wall of danmaku that surrounded her. Unseen, it continued along its journey, striking her at the back of her head.

Knocked forward by the hit, Maribel watched the wall of danmaku get closer and close until it swallowed her. Pained hoarse cries rang from the wall, as it spat out the human on the other end, depositing her on relatively soft ground.

Yukari watched the trembling human leisurely, sprawled on one of her gaps again, her hands holding her head up as if bored by the spectacle.

"Hmm, I think you should work on your sense of detection. Should help you avoid any more hits." She drawled.

Maribel growled, her vocal chords weakened from the hard training she had. In fact, her entire body was at an impossible state. The long training she had left, made worse by her wholly untrained state, made her feel like she had gone through the entire Olympics singlehandedly. It felt like she was a doll with her strings cut, dead and empty inside. Maribel guessed that her trainer/audience had something to do with that. It would most certainly fit into the impression that she was getting of the gap youkai.

She forced her empty arms to push herself up, using her last hurrahs to push herself off of the floor. She swayed restlessly, the almost constant movements of training past denying her the power to stay still.

"Hmm, perhaps a biological supplement would be helpful." Yukari said to herself, snapping her fingers. Maribel gasped as a rush flooded her body, adrenaline filling her with false energy.

"Well, then, back to work."

And she was surrounded by spiraling walls of danmaku again.

Perhaps it was her tired mind finally giving up any remaining sense of rationality or a simple side effect of the natural drugs that now filled her blood, but all Maribel could do, as she faced the swirling energy, was release a scream of raw rage as her ordeal began anew.

* * *

><p>Moriya shrine<p>

Afternoon

"Yes please, just let me rest." Renko moaned as she lay on the floor, arms sprawled wide in rest.

"Come on now. It's only afternoon." Sanae scolded as she sat next to the outsider.

"But we just ate! Can't we rest for a while?"

The shrine maiden sighed. "Fine. We'll rest for a while."

"Yaaaaaay..." Renko slurred.

"But only a while!"

"Yes mother..."

The two lapsed into silence as the glare of the sun, deflected off the wooden roof of the shrine, left them in cooling shade.

"How do I succeed..." Renko whispered to herself, looking out at the land beneath her.

"Well, you could start by trying." Sanae answered, knowing that the question was directed at the asker herself.

Renko glanced at the shrine maiden. "But Dutch's that good, that proficient. He stood in front ever since we came here. What can I do against him?"

"Well, you could also start by not demoralizing yourself."

Renko's silently looked away, her action making Sanae sigh.

"What is it about him that makes him that good? That ensnares your ideas of success?"

Renko glanced at the Shrine Maiden. "You know that gun he always uses? That rifle? He picked up that weapon while trying to save us. And he has been using it like a professional ever since then. With no preparation whatsoever. Me? I'm just randomly shooting bullets everywhere."

"Technically, all guns are easy to use." Sanae noted."So him using it naturally isn't that much of an issue."

"He faced off a vampire and lived. Only a couple of days before. How can I compare to that kind of skill?"

"You could really start by not digging your own grave!" The green haired Shrine maiden snapped.

Her brunette counterpart stared at her in shock.

"Aren't you training for that purpose?! Haven't you been working hard so that you wouldn't be helpless any more? If you are, then what are you doing right now?!" She continued.

"Yes, he's skillful and strong, but that means that you have a goal to reach. Don't you want to beat him? Doing this right now isn't helping you whatsoever. In fact, you are adding problems that didn't exist in the first place. You need to work towards fighting him, and the first stage is your mind!" Sanae shouted.

"Still..."

"Yes, he's still powerful and you may not win your first battle, but having negative thoughts will only serve to help him. Do you want to tell me that you have been wasting all of your time with me?" She continued.

Renko blinked, letting the emotion of the words enter her. "No, I haven't." She said, getting up from her spot." I won't let it."

Sanae smiled. "Well then, I assume our break is over?"

Her answer was Renko taking off towards the lake. The Shrine maiden smiled proudly before following her.

* * *

><p>Night<p>

Renko breathed out loud, watching her breath push away the tendrils of steam that rose from her hot cup of tea. She sat on the shrine floor, her legs dangling over the edge as her eyes found the moon in the night sky. The first borders of black were already eating at its side, the barest of concave darkness on its bright appearance.

Looking at it, her mind perceived the line like the edge of a blade, sharpened darkness cutting through the mass of white in the surface of the moon. In her eyes, the white soon faded to red, as a black blade sliced through the red orb effortlessly, it's familiar design reaching into her mind. The red moon fell apart in front of her, twin scarlet circles mocking her.

She called forth her sword, looking at it's unique second-hand design. Was it by design or instinct that she had been given such a weapon? The natural feel of it was so...alien. She had never wielded a weapon before and for one to seem so easy was foreign to her.

Ever since her innate ability was opened to her, her very body seemed entirely strange to her. Ironic, she guessed, in a world that was different, her own earthly vessel was the strangest thing of all.

"Contemplating your weapon?" Sanae asked, sitting down next to the brunette.

"Pondering. I feel so different, knowing that I had all of this all along."

"It happens. What about your other power?"

Renko glanced at her hands. "It's...strange, I guess. It's like a simple next step yet feels so powerful. I can't say what it's like."

Sanae chuckled."To each her own. What about your fellows? Have you been missing them?

Her partner grinned weakly. "Not really. Then again, I haven't had time to miss them. It has been all training and more training these last few days."

"Tomorrow is the end though. Yukari's coming to pick you up."

"I know. I wonder how Mary's doing."

Sanae grinned. "I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow. Get some early sleep. I want to have one final early morning match as a final test. For the future." She finished before leaving the brunette.

Renko nodded as she looked back at the moon, it's white visage laughing at her.

* * *

><p>"Very very good. You have improved quite a lot in these last few days." Yukari observed, leisurely sprawled on a gap, a cheshire grin adorned over her features. Her eyes gazed down on the panting human before her like a hawk eyeing its prey, and yet despite this, she was offering praise, revealing the effects of her training to the mortal.<p>

Maribel simply panted, her energy eaten away from two days of non-stop training, her only sustenance had been the bending of boundaries. Her purple shirt and skirt had become casualties of her fight for survival, rips and tears now made up the larger percentage of its form. Her body seemed unharmed, the damage received hidden by skin and magic.

"Actually, I would say that you have gone pretty much further than most people. Then again, while your power was revealed to you by Reimu, I honed it and brought it to a level that will prove far more helpful to you. I deserve most of the credit, don't you think?"

The watcher of boundaries growled at the manipulator shot mental state foregoing words for unspoken raw emotions, making her target chuckle.

"My my, how rude. I even took time off to do this. Do you know how much sake I could have enjoyed in this time frame?"

A furious glare.

"You love your mother with that brain? Pardon me, I just wanted to use that phrase. Still, you should rejoice. You are at the final doorstep." Yukari announced.

"However, there is still one more piece of the puzzle that you must accomplish. An awakening of power, of which only two people in the world have privy to. Your danmaku is but a simple parlor trick, peanuts compared to the main attraction. Your power goes far deeper than that. Much wider." The gap youkai whispered, the world slowly changing around her, inky inarticulate shapes slowly reaching for the human, wispy voices calling for her.

Maribel watched the approaching voices with tired indifference.

Nothing she had gone through rivaled the mysterious circle now closing in on her yet her mind could barely care. She fired off a volley of danmaku bolts but the energy projectile simply warped when they touched the contracting perimeter, their shapes spiraling out of reason.

She backed away from the shapes but the circles ensured there was no escape. Spinning round for a way, any way to escape, her only sight was seeming doom only reaching for her.

Like a tidal wave, the shapes rushed forth, engulfing her into a sea of black. Yet instead of oblivion, she felt something...different.

It was familiar to her, an almost comforting whisper of parts. Her eyes perceived the black in all it's glory, glancing at the colors that made up its murky darkness.

But she could see more, see deeper as well. Her eyes looked at the colors and saw shades of those colors and shades of those shades. Everything she saw was split into its components and those components split too.

She looked at her hands, the appendage a canvas of colors that pulsed with her heartbeat. The more she looked, the deeper she saw, until her hand glimmered with the sound of cosmic music, a presentation of her connection with the deepest part of the universe.

And then it was gone, her hand back to normal again. She growled before focusing on it again, trying to return to the sight she saw.

Yukari chuckled as she watched the human before her find herself once again. She too was like that, in her early years, absorbed by the tremendous sight that her power granted, leaving the experiences of the present to dwell in the realm of the immaterial. To simply observe such power seemed a delight.

At times, she cursed her body, seemingly frustrated at her fate to be limited by even her youkai body. Her very mind rebelled against the physical, refusing to take command of it's abode, preferring to float in dimensions elsewhere.

Yet the more she floated, the more her body pulled her back. Foolishly, she tried to fight, trying to enforce her will on herself. Its was a colossal fight, her power against her nature, a titanic clash that carried on furiously over blood and bone. Her body started to warp to the effects, seemingly fading out of reality at times. But in the end, just as she was set to take control of herself, to destroy her nature which held her back, it stopped her.

She never realised but her nature, her very essence, was as intricate as the immaterial realm she sought to pursue. She marveled at the different boundaries that shaped her existence, from her vessel to Her.

Taught an ironic lesson, Yukari had returned to the physical world at large, a revelation soon forthcoming when she discovered the effects of her power on her body. Brute force with her ability was foolish, wasteful and weak. Instead, subtlety was needed with her power, to use the hand of change to tweak the boundaries just an infinitesimal bit, just enough to ensure her victory and nothing more.

She could see the starting phases of the long journey to understand the same power already in the human before her. The glazed stare of wonder, the almost unwilling return to reality.

"That is a glimpse of what you can see. An opening of the doorway to jump start your power. Once you have experienced it, it will be much easier for you to return to it again." She whispered, a mentoring edge to her voice.

"But don't be taken in by the sight you have. Just like you, I felt the same and experienced it all. Centuries passed before I could return. You don't have the time." She continued.

"And thus I must warn you. While we share the same power, our use of it will be very much different. You don't have the experience I have, nor the strength to accept its toll. Don't be reckless."

"Ah..." Maribel breathed, feeling the physical touches on her body again.

Yukari grinned, the gap she sat on seemingly curving around her in accordance."This course has ended. Congratulations, you have a slightly higher chance of surviving in my world."

The human before her simply remained silent, still trying to get her bearings straight. The youkai sage sniggered at her immobilized state, disappearing in her gap and leaving elsewhere, back to Mayohiga, where her dwelling stood, its boundaries shrouding great secrets.

Inside, Ran awaited her, her tails shifting restlessly.

"You have a question."

The Kitsune bowed lightly. "Yukari-sama, is it wise to mentor a human whose power is like yours? It would seem rather...foolhardy."

"One should take care of the contingencies that she has prepared, in case she would ever need them. My plans have manifested in such a way, thus I shall simply have to take advantage of it. Besides, I have such great pieces positioned at such great points. All I must do is nurture them correctly..

Ran blinked her face a picture of confusion.

"I do not understand, Yukari-sama."

"The vault owner, my lovely shikigami. The human whom you seem much less suspicious of. I have set him on a journey, a kingmaker now under my guidance. However, should I ever need it, a transfer of title would be necessary and what better choice than the pieces already in my hand." The Sage answered.

"Besides, with all that is going on, I think he would need someone who he can rely on and someone to be betrayed by, should it be beneficial. Who knows, things change." She continued, opening a gap, cup in hand from the otherworldly action.

Her Kitsune bowed in answer, silently accepting the roles that her master had set for the humans.

"In the end, it's all a game of shadows. The true influences hide far beyond the touch of each other and the battlegrounds shift to their bidding. And sometimes, something.. shocking is required to shift everything back to our favor." The Sage ended, the gap releasing a drop of white which soured red soon after in the cup.

* * *

><p><em>Esoterica"Gray Thaumaturgy"<em>

Renko grinned as she flew towards the mass of projectiles, eyes focusing on the great mass approaching her. The wall of danmaku shot seemed impenetrable to the untrained eye, a solid wave of pain spreading out.

In her mind, her ability was moving into overdrive, selecting the closing projectiles and categorizing each one, moving their location and their projected path. Those too far were ignored, their distance ensuring their harmlessness.

Her mind picked a safe path through the danmaku, her body following unthinkingly. Powered by once impossible flight, the outsider weaved through the storm, constantly noting down new projectiles and ignoring those that posed no threat.

A single energy bullet headed straight for her, it's presence already noted down. Promising pain, it flew along its path, it's target stubbornly unwilling to avoid it.

Just as it closed in on her, it shifted, seized by some unseen power to change it course. Suddenly encased by grey energy, the projectile flew around its former target, forming a semicircle around the human before flying back towards where it came from, the energy that held it now gone.

More soon followed it's fate, as Renko redirected what she couldn't dodge away from her. Danmaku flew wild, thrown off course by the power of the human they sought to attack.

She felt almost invincible, since nothing could hit her. Flying through the barrage, a victorious grin graced her features. Now, she had power. She was truly stronger.

Then a single projectile, it's existence and and path noted down, flew straight for her. But she couldn't grab it fast enough, her mind taking too long to process the necessary decisions to change it's course.

It's struck her with a sharp burst, energy soaking into her body and setting her nerves aflame. Suddenly she was floundering, her trance broken by the hit. Her planned path forgotten, she could only weather the storm of pain, arms held up to defend herself.

_Thud!_

Went the sound of her body, crashing back down to earth like a fruit from a tree. She groaned, curling up in pain as the sensation of countless similar crash landings before filled her body.

"Well, you made some pretty good progress." Sanae said as she floated back to ground level, the shrine maiden smiling at her fellow's situation.

"Why does it always hurt the same?" Renko moaned as she sat up, disheveled by the long training she had.

Sanae giggled. "That's pain. You can't lessen it, only cope with it."

"Gah." Came the woman's answer, flopping back down onto earth, spreading her arms wide to rest.

"Still, I have to say that your power seems very unique. It's like you have some sort of GPS-like power, allowing for you to 'see' things at their current location in 3D. It's like you are a walking radar." The shrine maiden noted.

"But I still got hit. Some power I have."

Sanae smiled reassuring. "Don't say it like that. All you need to do is train more."

"That's easy for you to say. I had someone protect me and it's so frustrating to feel so powerless." Renko grumbled.

Sanae sighed. "Let me tell you a story." She started, settling down beside the outsider.

"Once, there was a human who lived with two gods. Belief for them was fading away and too were the beings who lived off them. The human was powerless to do anything but watch, her heart preparing for the day they would disappear. Her own powers were nothing, useless against nature." She continued, eyes clouded by memory.

"Then suddenly a door opened. A new world, where the gods could survive and the girl would never lose them. The girl pushed herself to help the gods reach this world, forgoing everything else. The world ceased to exist for her."

"They made it. Now they were she learned that the world already had a shrine with a god. Without thought or reason, she rushed off, demanding the expulsion of this new enemy, confident that she could singlehandedly protect her gods from competition. She was turned away and brought only pain to her gods."

Renko frowned. "I'm not so sure that I understand the moral of this story."

"The moral, Renko-san, is that power must be used responsibly. One shouldn't be too rash with what she has."

Yukari smiled. "Or as a popular saying more accurately goes, with great power comes great responsibility."

As the pair jumped back from the Sage who appeared in their midst, she continued. "Good morning Sanae, I come to collect my human." She cheerily said, a parasol shading the sun from her.

"Where's Mary?" Renko demanded.

"Dear me, both of you are less than polite. Your friend is resting from a long time of hard training. She actually endured quite a lot more compared to you." The Sage divulged airily, twirling her parasol around.

"Bah."

The speaker jumped as she felt the ground beneath her suddenly gave way, turning into a hole in reality before swallowing her whole.

Yukari giggled. "Down the rabbit hole she goes, where she comes out, nobody knows."

"Wouldn't it be your home?" Sanae deadpanned.

"Aw, come on. Why must you ruin it?" The youkai sage whined childishly, pouting cutely.

The shrine maiden sighed. "I know my words don't hold anything with you, but please , don't let them come to any more harm than is necessary."

Yukari smiled. "Oh I will. However, necessity does show her head every so often." She finished before disappearing, her parasol tip seemingly waving goodbye.

Sanae turned to return to her shrine, a silent wish from her heart for her fellow humans.

* * *

><p>Mayohiga<p>

Renko yelped as she landed on the soft ground, the plants once weighed down by crystalline drops of morning dew now folding peacefully before the seemingly colossal weight of the human.

Her hand held her aching back, which she had so unfortunately landed upon. The brunette curled up in pain, repeating the actions that she did seconds before.

Her tormentor landed next to her lightly, the gentle rustle of another area of grass being subjected to weight filling the air.

"Hmm, I thought I angled correctly. Ah well, it's your fault for entry with such a bad position." She cheerfully said.

"Why don't you...!" Renko hissed before getting swallowed by yet another gap, her words cut off.

"Ah ah ah. No swearing please. You wouldn't want to defile a teenager's ears." The self-proclaimed 17 year old sage lightly scolded, wagging her finger. Smiling to herself, she entered her dwelling, her expectant eyes seeing no-one.

Good. Ran had already departed.

Closing the parasol with a snap, her legs guided their owner to the living room, her footwear changed to accommodate the variation in environmental etiquette.

Good, her two guests were already occupying their planned positions, more by her design than their own. Leaving her delicate umbrella along the side of her favorite chair, she sat down on it gracefully, her posture far more refined then the two humans opposite her.

"Could you please stop with the gaps?" Renko moaned tiredly, her head leaned back on the couch, eyes closed in a furtile attempt to draw some rest.

"My apologies. Force of habit. If you don't mind, could you wake your friend?" The master of the house asked.

Renko straighted her head as she turned to the just recently noticed blonde human who slept next to her. Exhausted by the past events, she resorted to poking her friend in the shoulder, stabbing her finger until she got a response.

"Hullo Mary." She said before rolling her head back.

"Hueee?" The blonde mumbled as she rubbed her eyes awake, her movements slowed by her dozy state of mind.

Yukari sighed. "Come on now, we have important things to discuss. Wake up." She commanded, snapping her fingers to give both of the human before her a jolt.

"Ow! We're up. Stop it." Renko moaned, energy filling her exhausted body.

"Finally. I have many topics to discuss and sleepy heads will miss information. So if you miss anything, it's not my fault." She stated.

The house dissolved around them, leaving the furniture that they sat on the only thing visible. In between them, an image of a girl, her sky blue eyes and sterling blue hair complimenting her young image. A pair of wings, the feathers of fine crystalline filament, adorned her back. A white blue dress and white teal blouse clothed her,completing her image.

The two humans scanned the image of the girl, confusion in their faces. "Who is she?" Renko questioned.

"Her name is Vale. A very special girl, I must admit. Quite the unique one in origins and status." The youkai Sage started.

"She is connected to your friend, whose current activities are far more adventurous than yours. She brought quite a many things to him and more."

"How is Dutch?" Maribel asked worriedly.

Yukari grinned. "He's fine. His situation may be a tad problematic but nothing life threatening. Yet."

"So what did she do to him?" Renko continued her questioning.

"Changes, would be the summarized version. They had both provided great things for each other and he has grown to accept her."

Maribel frowned. "She's part of the crystal, isn't she?"

Yukari nodded in answer. "Yes she is. She is the physical embodiment of his burdens, the power that he wields made manifest. While her personality may be suiting of her age, her power is far more developed. Should you ever meet her, I recommend that you handle her with caution."

"Why are you showing us this?" Renko put forth, suspicion clear in her eyes."This is his burden."

"Because the Vault, upon death of its Owner, will take a new one. I need someone who can take up that burden if it is so required. What Dutch has set in motion cannot be halted."

"You want us to handle the vault if he dies? What is he, some tool?" The brunette hissed, anger burning in her eyes.

"A pawn, to be more fitting. His appearance has created a stir among the more reclusive members of the magical realms and their interest is both him, and the crystal that he wields. The former is inclusive of the latter while the other has a more variable requirement. His death will ultimately matter little, if the opposition gets control of the Vault.I will not let that happen. If the mantle of power must be transferred, it will be done." The Sage answered.

"For the safety of this land, it must be done."

Maribel's face darkened. "You expect us to treat his passing with such callousness? Simply pick up the thing that he risks his life for and put it on like some simple tool?"

"In essence, yes. Your closeness to him, relationship wise, means that you will have a higher chance of obtaining it from him upon his death. He will let you in close. I will not let the Vault fall into the hands of those who seek to bring malice."

"And Dutch? Has he no say?" Renko growled.

"He's a pawn. His say will not matter. Yours, on the other hand, offers opportunities for me to further my agenda. What that is is mine to reveal. But your stake in him is more personal. Stay close to him, and ensure that the control of the Vault remains in my hands, one way or another or face untold horrors. The choice is yours."

Maribel frowned. "...Fine. We will stay close to him. But don't think we will let him fall."

Yukari smiled. "I have no such dreams."

She snapped her fingers, returning them to the reality that they knew, the darkness changing back into the homely background that they started from.

"With the end of your training, it is time to hone your skills in real combat. The two of you are going back to an old familiar place. New threats abound there and your friend is on a course there as well, so you will intercept him. Do what you think is right."

And then they were falling.

"Apologizing doesn't help if you keep doing it!" Renko yelled irritably back into the void.

She was answered by a blinding flash of sunlight, as the sun glared down on her even as she fell. Her eyes closing instinctively from the ball of fire overhead, she was too distracted to note the rapidly approaching ground rushing up to her.

"Mary!" She called for her friend's help, while her eyes caught sight of the blonde woman. She floated in the air, held aloft by her magic, yet her eyes were distracted elsewhere, seemingly staring into nothing.

Renko cursed as she realized her plight. In her current situation, her concentration was as solid as twigs, her natural reaction to freefalling constantly disrupting her train of thought, while her friend was distracted by something.

The earth got closer and closer as Renko braced herself for a very painful landing, already waiting for the painful thud.

Lucky, sometimes, the seeming annoying being that dropped you out of air actually aimed you at something. Like a gate guard for one.

"Oof!" Meiling breathed, catching the falling human with a quick hand. Renko opened her eyes gingerly, looking at the gate guard who substituted herself for the hard packed earth.

"Yukari?" She asked, letting the human back on her two feet. Renko answered her with an irritable nod, directed at her evil tormenter.

"Thank you." She thanked, bowing quickly.

Meiling's answer was interrupted by Maribel's landing."I'm so sorry! I thought you were going to get hurt!" She gushed, rushing up to her friend.

She stopped as her eyes caught sight of Meiling, her recently awoken power showing the different boundaries that formed the youkai before her. The visions that grabbed her attention once did so again, making her freeze in place.

"Mary?" Renko questioned, walking up to her friend who stared at Meiling with a glazed, almost curious expression.

Maribel shook herself out of her trance, breaking her eyesight away from the Meiling shaped boundaries that held her eyes. She gave Renko a reassuring smile, her friend's image a comforting normalcy from the boundary ridden world that her eyes now saw.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, unwilling to worry anyone. "Never better."

Their attention was taken by the sensation of their old headwear landing on their head. Renko reached up and grabbed it, checking her trusty hat for any difference. Nodding to herself at the existence of none, her eyes were drawn to a rather curious combination, the numbers running in light purple in the interior of her hat.

A single glance told her that none of her compatriots had seen the strange display. Staring at the combination, she frowned as her magic aided eyes actually managed to decipher it into something understandable.

Somehow, the Sage had left her a message in a way that only her power could read. Why she did it while making the actual message unreadable was a mystery to her but then, a lot of things were.

"Surprised? I left this as a test of your abilities. Your talent is quite the unique one and I haven't seen it in quite a long time while. Pinpoint location. Quite a mundane skill indeed and yet it's application has quite the numbers in terms of use. Your eyes read your place in position in numbers and change that into feeling. An ability no doubt influenced by your mathematical background. "

"Interestingly enough, your ability isn't that different from your friend, in terms of field. Both of you can perceive in different dimensions. The Vault would have had a much more inclined owner in you instead."

"But to more pressing matters. By now, you would have seen your friend's strange mannerisms by now. Thus, I will divulge to you that you should treat her too with some degree of caution. Her power isn't one that infant beings can manage, unlike yours. I will entrust her to you."

"In summary, you are an important piece of the puzzle. Your position makes you one of upmost importance Choose wisely."

Renko growled softly as she finished the message. Yukari's words, as patronizing as they were, had some very unwelcome issues for her. The Sage's touch appeared to bring problems wherever applied.

She threw an inquisitive glance at Mirabel, her friend talking to Meiling animatedly. Still, she could see the change in her, the almost tensed up posture of her body and the concentrated focusing of her eyes. Maribel was seeing boundaries again, although her guess was this time, it was of a very much different intensity. So Yukari's words were not without merit.

But the mention of Dutch rankled her. The Gap Youkai's hints that she would be a much better owner of the Vault combined with the news that the magical device would accept a new owner upon death of the old told her all she needed to know.

Frankly, it made her worried. Everything Yukari said pointed to Dutch's possible demise in the future and she couldn't accept that.

'I won't let anyone die. Not for that stupid thing.' She vowed.

Her thoughts settled, she returned to the talking pair across from her, placing her hat on her head. Things were very much different now, but she swore that the Ghostly Field Club would decipher this challenge.

"So what were you two chatting about?" She inquired casually, all of her thoughts hidden behind a mask of civility. No need to cause any further alarm, not when things were already speeding up.

Meiling grinned. "I'm heading to the Human Village to help Sakuya-san buy supplies for the mansion. Your friend here tells me that you're going there too."

"Yes we are. I don't supposed we could tag along?"

The gate guard grinned. "I would be delighted to. Company is very welcome."

With that said, they set off. Renko and Maribel noted the scenery, the familiar setting reminded of their rather eventful run to the scarlet mansion. The same path as before reached out past them, green trees fencing in the pathway.

"Aren't you the gate guard?" Maribel questioned.

Meiling nodded. "I am but I'm also the strongest around in the mansion, barring the mistresses, so Sakuya-San usually sends me out to buy supplies. But I have to admit, the amount that she makes me buy is still heavy, even for me." She chuckled in embarrassment.

"You could always bring your fairies for help." Renko interjected.

The red-haired guard grinned weakly. "Only if you want a quarter of the things you bought to go missing. Fairies aren't exactly the most intelligent of beings."

As if to reinforce her statement, a fairy flew out of the trees and collided with a branch. The trio watched the magical being rub her head before flying off again back into the trees, the sound of another collision reaching their ears soon after.

"Oh." Maribel answered for the both of them.

Meiling smiled as she continued along, her trailing humans following her.

"Where is your partner? I thought he was part of your group?" The gate guard queried.

Maribel sighed. "We don't know. We were separated a couple days back and we know nothing about him. I really worried about him. He isn't one that is safety orientated."

"You should have some faith in him. After all, he survived Flandre." Meiling noted.

Maribel smiled. "Still..." She put out, a single word encompassing all the feelings she had.

Renko listened to their conversation silently. She had the same feeling as her friend regarding Dutch yet she had something much more too.

She longed to actually face him in combat. She wanted...no..she needed to prove to him that she could take care of herself, that she didn't need his assistance to survive whatever threats that arrived. She had to prove to herself that she could stand on her own two feet.

Her hands clenched as she affirmed her mission. She would get an answer soon enough.

Thus, each of them continued, each dwelling in their own thoughts, the crunch of dirt their only disturbance. Time seemed to follow them, the world seemingly cruising along at their speed. The calm repetitiveness of the fencing trees added to the strange feeling, seemingly like they were on nature's white corridor.

Almost mystically, the trees opened up into flat open farmland, the change so natural that neither of the humans in the group actually took note of the change until they were well away from the trees. Both of them startled as they realized the variation in setting, each glancing at the other with bemused eyes.

Meiling giggled at the reactions of the two humans. "It's strange, isn't it? Almost like magic." She quipped as she waved at a farmer, the grizzled man returning the gesture.

Her two companions nodded silently as they walked up to a tower next to the road, shaded movement inside betraying the occupancy of the structure.

From behind the building, one of the men inside stepped out. He carried his rifle casually, the long weapon reminiscent of the ones that fought the world wars all those years back. His conical straw hat shielded his face from the sun, his clothing built to suit the weather. He looked just like the farmers tending their fields, if it were not for the weapon clips that peeked out from a sack on him.

"You're late by a day." The man remarked casually.

Meiling smiled. "The mansion had some guests to attend to. My usual trips had to delayed for a while as a result."

Her conversational partner nodded. "Very well then. And about your fellows. Can you vouch for them?"

"With all the trust I have."

The guard nodded. "Move on through then." He waved, stepping aside to let them pass on to the village behind him.

Meiling nodded her thanks as the group set off again, walking towards the outskirts of the village, where their path met up with several others, the largest bringing a torrent of traffic in from another smaller group of buildings, the smoke of industry rising from their midst.

"I thought people didn't like youkai here." Renko noted, glancing back at the tower, where guarded eyes tracked their movement.

Meiling nodded. "And you are not wrong. But there are those who tolerate our presence and those who welcome it. Even here, there are friends."

"But those who are hostile towards us outnumber our friends. Be careful here. Even you are regarded as a stranger in these parts." She finished.

"We'll watch our backs." Maribel murmured, as they entered into the traffic flow, smoothly falling in behind a group of carts, the transportation tools pushed by stoic men. The grunting workers gave their followers no heed.

"How often do you come here?" Maribel asked, the group taking a slow pace to keep behind the workers.

"About once every week. I bring a lot back but fairies actually take up quite the amount of food. Most of our supplies go towards feeding them, while the mistresses just drink blood and their nightly meal. Everyone else just makes up the rest." Meiling answered, laughingly smiling at her words.

"The mansion is a big place. It needs a big staff." Renko returned.

"Ah, well Sakuya-san does at least half the cleaning work but she definitely doesn't eat half the food. I don't think she could take that level of sustenance." The gate guard sheepishly laughed, treating herself to an image of her superior with a less than perfect figure.

Back in the mansion, Sakuya paused in her dusting. Her hand suddenly twitched compulsively to her knife holster. Dismissing the strange movement, she returned to her cleaning, noting to herself that she should wake Meiling the next time the red-head fell asleep with twice the normal dosage of knifes.

Back at the village, the trio walked slowly as they stayed behind the carts and it's grunting men. The wheeled contraption proved the useful leader, easily pushing a path through the traffic that the three simply took at a leisurely pace.

"Message for Lady Usami! Message for Lady Usami!"

Renko turned to the voice, seeing a young boy look up to her. The adolescent held up a piece of folded paper as he kept pace with her.

She took the paper gingerly, to which the boy bowed quickly before disappearing into the traffic as quickly as he had appeared. Renko gave her fellows a bemused look as she unfolded the paper, reading the contents inside.

"Green fields tavern."

Meiling nodded. "Ah, that place. It's a respectable tavern serving mainly travelers and traders. Quite good service, for one with its likely reputation. I stayed there a few times myself."

"Don't you have the mansion?" Maribel probed.

Meiling shifted her body. "Yes but sometimes, the mistress wants something so bad that she orders me to not return until I get it. It's quite troublesome sometimes."

"I can see why." Renko noted.

"I'll guide you there. It's not too far from here." The gate guard continued.

"Ah, we'll be fine. You could just give us directions." Maribel returned.

"Absolutely not! What would Sakuya-san say if I let you go on your own? I'll take you there!"

The two sighed and gave up.

Thus they continued, following the carts, the slow pace helping to keep the moving crowd at a close distance from them. Most of the people gave Meiling a greeting nod, her familiarity guaranteeing neutrality. Her compatriots were given the same.

The two outsiders followed Meiling's lead, as she turned away from the traffic and into an off shoot. The number people of people thinned out considerably here, the road behind them a seeming wall of bodies they had departed from. They took up a faster pace, their way now unhindered.

Their path soon stopped at a building in between warehouses. The chatter of clinking cups and casual laughter drifted out, a different atmosphere hanging around the building compared to its stoic partners.

Meiling smiled. "Alright, this is where we depart ways. Maybe if I can't finish my shopping I'll come here. But I really don't want to get knifed tomorrow so that would be unlikely. Still, good luck on your future." She wished.

Maribel nodded. "Thanks. Good luck to you too then."

The two young ladies entered the building, the air within cooler and more comfortable than outside. As they stepped inside, a man came out to receive them.

While the scar on his face may have seemed intimidating, his humble smile relaxed them. The man bowed and the duo answered in return, courtesy exchanged.

"Good morning, my ladies. Do you have a reservation?" He asked.

Renko nodded, the card she received in her hand. "I believe so."

The man glanced at her card before nodding. "Right this way."

He led them into the building, past rooms full of smiling guests and laughing revelers. Deeper into the building, where the rooms were closed to them and silence permeated the air. Silent attendants scurried between them, giving each other a quick bow as they did their jobs.

Eventually, they reached an empty room, the inside occupied by a low table laden with an array of snacks. Facing them stood another set of doors, with simple but homely murals gracing them.

"This room and its side rooms have all been silenced by magic. Your words shall not leave it." The man announced. Both outsiders admired the decoration as they stepped inside, examining the murals that stood on the doors opposites them. Light came from a bulb on the ceiling, the glass object a comforting sight in the magical world around them.

"Is there anything you need?" The man inquired.

"No, there isn't. You may leave." Maribel returned. The man bowed again before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it Mary?" Renko asked as she looked around the room. Another pair of doors graced the other walls, each with the same decoration.

Maribel giggled, sitting down, sighing at the relaxing of her body. "It's only been three days."

"Oh goodness. A killer three days it was!" Renko complained as she checked behind each door. All appeared to be the same, a drawer recessed into the wall and empty floors.

"I can't say I disagree. It's been hard."

"So what are you going to do?".

Maribel yawned. "I'm tired. I'll think I want to get some sleep."

"Go ahead. In fact, I think I'll join you." Renko followed as she entered one of the rooms and opened the drawer. Her guess was correct as she pulled out a pair of futons, the mattress soft and relaxing.

"Oh sleep, how I missed you so badly." She moaned as she slipped inside. Maribel laughed softly at her best friend's antics.

"Good night Renko."

"Night Mary."

* * *

><p>Renko blinked.<p>

The ceiling stared back at her, the plain wooden surface against her eyes. Time seemed to stop for her, the wooden cube she dwelled in a refuge against the relentless march of time.

She glanced to her side, seeing only an empty futon. Sighing with waking fatigue, the brunette got up from her own and slowly walked to the door, her legs slowly getting steadier.

She slid open it to spot Maribel staring at the table, her eyes boring into the table. The blonde made no recognition of her entrance, clouded eyes affixed to the wooden construct in front of her.

"Mary?"

Still nothing.

Almost fearfully, she reached out. The moment her fingers brushed Maribel shoulder, her friend snapped to, eyes returning to lucidity.

"Mary, are you okay?" Renko prodded, knowing the answer.

Her friend smiled. "I'm fine."

"Mary, please. You didn't look fine."She pleaded.

Maribel shivered. "It's my power. Yukari unlocked it while we were training now and now...now, I'm seeing deeper than I ever seen before. And I can't turn it off. Everywhere I look, the boundaries are there."

"How bad is it?"

"Everything. This table, the walls, even the fruits reveal themselves to me. I could even tell you the difference of borders between the taste of an apple and orange." The blonde described, smiling shakily. "Humans too. The colors change with age. I could probably tell you anyone's age by looking at them."

"Even youkai. But they're so strange. Their colors represent their age, their nature and even the blood on their hands. They are so different from us." She whispered.

"Mary, please."

Maribel grabbed her worried friend's hand. "I will be fine. It just means that I have to concentrate. Stop worrying."

"I think I'm justified, after everything." Renko grumbled.

The sliding door made them turn, from which Dutch and a silver haired woman stepped through. The man smiled as he spotted his past companions.

"Maribel, Renko!" He exclaimed.

The latter rose to meet him, her face echoing his smile. The former's on the other hand froze.

The man she saw barely looked like the one she remembered.

"Renko, stop!" She yelled, calling forth her power. The danmaku hung ready to fire.

Dutch's female partner echoed Maribel's intentions, her own means of attack already unsheathed. Both sides faced off against the other.

"Alright...let's not get hasty and outright murder each other by accident." Dutch whispered warily. "Teri, put the sword away."

The aforementioned woman glanced at him. He answered her with a reassuring nod, hand motioning her to follow him.

Almost reluctantly, the woman sheathed her sword. Her eyes still glared at Maribel, as the blonde kept her danmaku up.

"Thank you. Now Maribel. If you please, put that bolt away." Dutch continued.

"No."

"Mary please, what's wrong?" Renko pleaded.

Maribel blinked rapidly as her eyes still remained affixed on Dutch. "You can't see it but he isn't the Dutch we know. His borders are barely human."

"I can explain that. Now, if you may, ask me something, anything that only the three of us know."Dutch put forth.

"What was the last thing you said to us before you were taken to the forest?"

The man relaxed. "Good luck."

"Ah..It's you. It's really you..." Maribel whispered, walking up to him. She felt his arm, checking to answer her eyes.

"I think I would know for sure." Her target returned.

"So what happened to you? And who is she?" Renko questioned, eyes examining Tenma.

Dutch grinned. "I think that will be quite a story to tell."

* * *

><p>The same man breathed as he leaned back against the wall, looking at the night sky overhead.<p>

So this was where it had all started. This village became the point from which his journey started. The mansion, Tenma, everything started from the events here.

And here he was, back again. He guessed that another journey was going to open. The events here aren't going to be an isolated accident.

'...Dutch?'

At least no matter what happened, he knew of someone who alway will be with him.

'Hmmm?'

'When this is over, what are you going to do?' Vale asked.

'I don't know. Things are proceeding to early to even see an end yet. How about you?' Her soulmate returned.

'...I just want to be with you.'

Dutch chuckled. 'You could have all the things in the world and you choose me. I feel flattered.'

Vale simply flooded their bond with emotion. 'And I feel loved.'

"Dutch?"

Renko spoke as she appeared from the tavern entrance.

"Did all of that really happen?" The brunette prodded.

"Down to the orphanage. You should go visit there one day."

"Wow. And I thought I had it hard. Three days of nonstop training." She moaned.

"It's perspective." Dutch answered.

They returned to silence as the sound of general tavern activities drifted from the walls.

"Dutch, do you have any thoughts about afterward?"

The man smiled inwardly. Again? What are the chances.

"I can't say really. I usually focus more on the task at hand."

Renko frowned. "But you have to have something right? Something to look forward to."

"Most of the time, I look forward to the resting. One could never get enough sleep. Still, now that you think about it, maybe when this is all over I might settle down. Go set up a network of people to gather information." Her conversational partner returned.

"And what will you do with this information?"

Dutch grinned. "Nothing. You see, I'm not very good at managing a network of people. Should be quite the time eater."

"Wow, so you got all of this planned out already."

"Not really. I just think fast under pressure. Come to think about it, it really is a good idea. I should follow through with it. But enough about me, what about your end?"

Renko sighed, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. Me and Mary, we both have people on the other side of the barrier. Homes and families waiting for us."

"But after magic and our powers, I really don't see how we can just go back home. Things have changed too much." She finished.

"So it has."

* * *

><p>Tenma was pretty sure that she was safe where she was.<p>

The room was widely spaced enough for her to wield her weapon if things went bottom up. And that was not counting the skills she had at her fingertips. Or her natural youkai given resilience .

Still, she felt the slightest sense of uneasiness as she relaxed at the table...or at least tried to. Dutch had gone outside and his brunette friend had followed him, leaving her and the blonde woman to stay behind.

Said blonde woman was staring at her very noticeably. It was the kind of stare that was loaded with intentions. A predator's stare, where your every movement was an interesting exercise.

No matter how well skilled you were, the feeling when you are being watched very intensely tended to raise a sense of alert.

Hence her uneasiness.

As she fidgeted again, Maribel spoke, thankfully breaking the tension in the air.

"So how did you meet him, Teri-san?"

Tenma composed herself. No sense showing any signs of weakness to the human. "We met each other along the same path and decided that working together was beneficial." She spelled out, following the highly edited story that Dutch gave to his companions.

"I see. What do you think of him?" Maribel continued.

"He is a good fighter and a good person." Her tengu counterpart returned.

"And how did you know of his existence?"

"After the...Lord Tenma hired him to conduct an attack on the Hakurou Tengu, most tengu know of his existence." She continued, feeling surreal at referring to herself in the third person.

"I see. And the two of you just met along the way?"

"Yes we did."

Maribel folded her arms. "I'm sorry but I cannot keep my mind at rest with your story. It's far too coincidental."

"So what do you think I am?" Tenma questioned.

The blonde human frowned. "I think, Teri-san, that you are working for someone from the tengu village to find Dutch for revenge. Maybe even the Lord Tenma to shut him up."

Surprised by the human's theory, Tenma felt scandalized by that accusation. Her, sending out one of her people to assassinate Dutch? Why, that was unacceptable!

...And exactly what she had prepared in case Dutch started to brag. Her feeling on that matter toggled between embarrassment and shame, in no particular order at the moment.

" Ah, I see." She answered.

"So this is what I will do. I will watch you. If he gets hurt, I will find you and whoever sent you. I swear it." Maribel growled.

Tenma was speechless. The threat was pretty ironic, given her identity. And the human's threat was pretty laughable too. She wondered how many moves it would take to floor the determined human in front her. Probably countable using just her hands.

"I understand." She finally returned.

* * *

><p>"Well, then. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day." Dutch said, unfolding his futon in the darkness. The lack of light didn't bother him or his partner, each able to see fine.<p>

"What are your objectives for tomorrow?" Tenma inquired as she sat on her side. The two shared one of the rooms, while Renko and Maribel kept their own.

"First things first. I have to pass the bag to the family of the man. Right after, I'll be heading back into the forest. There's a magician I'm looking for inside who can provide some help with an endeavor I'm working on."

"Will you require help?"

Dutch shrugged."Unlikely. I'll know where to acquire information on where to go and the feral population shouldn't be that much of a problem in the afternoon. I'll be fine."

His tengu counterpart gave him a look. "I can help you return the bag."

"They may think that you had something to do about it."

"So be it. The earlier you leave the less active the feral youkai will be. You will be safer."

Dutch stared at her for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons before sighing. "Fine. Hand this over to his family. It should give them some closure." He said, bringing up the bag

Tenma took the offered bag, her finger brushing against his own. She blushed as she remembered her impulsive action from before, her lips parting slightly at the thought of it.

"About just now..." She started.

Dutch smiled. "I have no regrets. But you did give me a lot to think about. A very loaded choice."

"But..."

"But nothing. When I choose, it will be a choice I will follow through with. When will be the more pertinent question. There is a lot of thinking to do.

She smiled. "Think hard then."

"You know it. And honestly..." Dutch grinned as he watched her. "You blushing is quite the sight."

Tenma smiled. "Perhaps. I wonder how you would be."

They laughed, the moment past. Each returned to their own futon and slipped into their dreams.

"Good night Tenma."

"You too."

* * *

><p>Dutch blinked.<p>

What was that? It was like he was a completely different person for the later part of today. His bond with Vale raised not a hair with all his action with Tenma. That spelled a gathering storm for him.

Expecting an immensely angry Vault entity, he gingerly stepped off the platform.

All he saw was a curious sight.

Vale floated...no, hung in the centre of the glass ring that made up the floor of the control, her arms and wings sprayed out. Energy danced around her, eyes closed to the spectacle.

"Vale?"

The girl opened her eyes, smiling at the call.

'You came back.'

"Course I did. I wouldn't leave my other half." He returned, a spike of guilt at his words.

'What's wrong?' Vale questioned, worry creeping across their bond.

"You didn't feel anything just now? Not a peep?"

'Why? What happened?' She probed, reaching across their bond to delve into his memories.

Instead, a strange almost devouring sensation tore in, forcefully pushing him and occupying his mind. Vale's pained cry echoed his as they both clutched their heads, each feeling the effect of the intrusion.

He groaned as he fell on the floor, curling into a ball surrounded by energy. His wings enveloped him, an instinctive move to protect himself.

Wings?

Forcing his eyes open, Dutch looked at himself curled up in the spiral of energy while Vale looked at herself lying on the platform. Each struggled with the other's sensations, fighting to sift between each other.

He battled to move, crawling to the railing on the platform. With a snarl, he grabbed the bar, her hand closing on empty as she watched himself lying against the railing, she grabbed the cause of the attack and tore it out of their bond. They both echoed each other actions, equally fighting.

And he was back, in his own body, lying on the platform on the control room. Sucking in air in gasps, he leaned against the railing, feeling Vale touch down next to him unsteadily.

The Vault entity collapsed onto him, shaking. Her arms grabbed tight, holding on to her love.

'What was that?' Her soulmate shuddered as he returned her hold, too shaken for words.

'It...it was the idea that you came up with in the morning. I was working on it, developing it.' Vale explained, her mind and voice returning to normalcy.

'And when you reached across the bond, you lost control?' Dutch added.

She nodded.

'Well then, at least we know it works now.' He smiled.'Let's keep working on it.'

'It could be dangerous...'

'Then don't lose control. I have faith in you.' He finished.

Vale giggled before going in for her usual kiss, one they held until air was needed. Breaking away, she took off back into the spiral, letting the energy hold her in place.

'Dako, what was the thing you wanted to tell me?'

Dutch kept his smile, even as he shrouded his thoughts. Decisions raced, to tell or to hide.

'Its nothing. Just an encounter that almost went south. I stopped myself.' He finally answered.

Vale giggled. 'I have faith in you.'

'Thanks.'

* * *

><p>"You're hiding."<p>

Nora chuckled. " Shrouding is a better word. Hiding implies a more permanent solution."

"But you broke her control of the Idea." Vault accused.

The memory fragment waved it aside. "It was bound to happen. The way Vale worked on that meant that she would lose control sooner or later. I simply made it sooner."

"And your motive for doing so?"

"Well, I did make a bargain. One has to keep her side of the deal for it to be proper. And shrouding her from their interactions is crucial to my plans. It's best for her to remain unaware until I can release the information to my advantage."

"And for such a result. You gain nothing."

Nora smiled motherly. "Perhaps, but I think that he deserves it. What he has done could never be repaid for materially."

"Even so, it's a thin red line you tread. The consequences aren't something to blink at."

The woman kept her smile. "No thinner than any other line I have ever walked."


	38. To each their own

Hey guys. Here's the new one.

I would really want to increase posting speed but tertiary level education don't leave much for free time. that and tertiary level equipment too. I blame my laptop and Steam.

Still, a quite a bit of thinking went into this. A bit of a return to my original objective, of showing the worlds outside the games. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you'll don't. Leave a review if you may so please.

Thanks goes to** Ban3** as usual for the hard work.

* * *

><p><em>After the fall of the project, the more militant of the candidates were left floating free. Most quickly took security jobs in the company, where they could apply their training. For the rest, an atmosphere of 'now what?' hung over us all. A well to do company didn't need people adept in anarchy or any of the more destructive fields of warfare. Physically, all needs were provided for by the people in charge. Mentally, we are bored out of our minds.<em>-Personal notes of Nora Murray.

Vault

Time.

It was the one thing that the Vault had in seeming abundance.

The self-contained world broke all feeling of the passing seconds. Realms outside seemed subservient to the mind of the beholder, subject to whatever he imagined them to be.

One could lose his sense of time here.

It's master wondered if it was so bad a thing. He had far too much recent experience with the fast pace of combat. Some change would be nice.

And he was content as he was. Lying on a comfortable bed, a beautifully unique girl resting next to him with sleep painted on her face and a gentle feeling drifting from her. Dutch knew he could spend hours just being next to her.

He probed their bond, resisting the urge of sleep pulling through and focusing on the feeling.

It just was. He simply couldn't describe properly the emotions that formed it. A hint of everything good along with fulfillment was his closest guess. It was a therapeutic feeling that defied satisfaction, no end to the amount that he felt.

His finger brushed away an errant lock from her eyes, continuing on to feel the skin of her cheek. A happy mumble resonated with the bond, causing Dutch to smile.

"She's unique, isn't she?"

He faced the hovering orb. "That barely covers her." He returned.

"How far are you willing to go?" Vault probed.

"As far as it takes."

Vault glowed red. "Then choose wisely Vault Master. For now, a misstep will mean that shattering of her trust.. Perhaps forever."

A huge sigh raked his body. "I know. I don't know what's going on. It's like having two different personalities for different worlds. It's difficult."

"Perhaps. Tread carefully then. You walk a thin line." Vault finished, fading away just as Vale yawned awake.

Sleepy eyes focused on the man next to her, drowsiness disappearing with each blink. A happy smile quirked her lips as she moved in close.

'You're awake.' She purred in greeting, moving herself on top him and nuzzling his neck. The entity sniffed his neck, taking in his personal scent and drawing a content mumble from him.

Happy at his reaction, Vale shifted higher, staring straight into him. She weighted down on him comfortably, his arms instinctually looping around her waist. Pressing her forehead against his, they sunk into the moment, eyes closed, touch their only sense.

Finally, she let her emotions flood their bond, an all-powerful surge of love that demanded a physical release. Grabbing his head, she drew hers close, drawing their lips together in a slow kiss.

After what seemed to be an eternity, they broke apart, slow breaths mixing.

'I don't think I will ever get used to that.' He admitted.

Vale giggled. 'I don't want to.' She announced, wrapping her arms around his neck.

* * *

><p>"You'll be able to leave here soon."<p>

Vale smiled at Dutch's statement, as she sat watching him first disassemble and then mechanically reassemble his carbine at a separate table.

'You know I won't leave you.' She returned, standing up and walking over to him, her hands wrapping around his neck.

Dutch grinned. "I wouldn't even think of it." He breathed pleasantly as hers brushed against his neck. Letting his head drop onto her shoulder, he closed his eyes and smiled contently.

'I love you.'

"I know."

Vale's hold tightened ever so slightly. 'Promise that you will stay safe.'

"Didn't I promise that I will always come back to you?" Dutch teased.

She tightened her hold again, her wings enveloping him.'Please.'

"I promise. To the best of my ability."

Vale's answer was to hold him tight, a silent answer.

* * *

><p>Dutch smiled inwardly as he leaned on the wall.<p>

He delved into their bond to probe Vale's emotions, a quick sample to judge their feeling.

He felt her love foremost, a welling of emotions that spoke of adoration for him and him only. He also felt her fear, a combination of dark anxieties that burned in her mind. This, he sought to quell, sending a wave of assuring calm to smother it.

Her answer was a brush of that adoration, fleeting in its passing but just as emotional in meaning. He smiled and retreated back into his own mind, letting her concentrate on her task. She was safe.

"Dutch?"

He opened his eyes, keeping his smile as Tenma faced him. Her eyes spoke volumes, a seemingly envious focus in them...

"Are you leaving soon?" And then that focus was gone, replaced by concern.

"In about half an hour. Too much traffic right now." He noted.

"What are you seeking the magician for?"

"...A promise. To help grant freedom to one that never had and for one that has never seen it." He cryptically revealed.

"I see." Tenma whispered, moving up to him. Skillful fingers found his chin and held it there as she went for her own kiss, just as deep as her rival.

Dutch could offer no resistance to the actions of the youkai woman. In fact, he returned it. His own inhibitions broke down to her actions, giving her complete and unbridled control over him. He conformed to her movements, letting her press herself against him, her hands to find his.

Eventually, they broke away breathing heavily.

"I could never resist you, you know that? You are far too attractive, too exemplary for me to deny you this." Dutch whispered, more to himself then her.

"I know." Tenma returned, leaning in to continue. Between a wall and a woman again, Dutch lost himself in the myriad of sensations. Her body pressed onto his, her unique scent and most of all, her tongue, almost needy in the way she toyed with his.

It's ended slowly, with reluctant partings. Tenma blushed a satisfied red.

"Stay safe." She breathed.

"I promise." Dutch repeated.

* * *

><p>"Okay, this just complicates my job." Jack complained, annoyed eyes glaring at the man opposite him.<p>

"Look, I'll be fine. There's no need to send someone with me." Dutch returned.

"That's not the issue. The problem is that you are heading back into the forest without a guide from the village and people are going to see that the wrong way. Do you really want the villagers' mistrust of you to worsen?"

"I already have a guide waiting for me in there. I'll be okay."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Is that guide human?"

Dutch kept silent.

"See? My problem exactly." His counterpart growled. "The guards are wary of tengu. They have the skills to match their age and the power too. Now you want to head out into feral youkai territory with no way of us knowing what you are going to do."

"I know this sounds fishy..." Dutch started.

"Good, at least you know half of it. Look, I have no problems with you rambling off but the guys here are twitchy. A mere peep and they will riddle you."

"I see."

Jack sighed. "Alright, just go on ahead. I'll tell the guards to give you a pass when they see you."

"And you better come back before dark, unless you want alarm bells to go off in the guards' heads." He glared.

"Thanks."

"Now go, before I change my mind."

Dutch nodded, departing from the guard post. Eyes followed his back as he headed away from the village. He kept his casual saunter, knowing that those eyes could aim iron sights quickly.

At the forest edge, out of sight of the guards, he relaxed. He wondered which opponents were less stressful, ones that kept the danger over his head constantly or those that struck suddenly.

No matter where he was, old truths stayed strong.

Honestly, he didn't know if his guess was correct. Indications of future events weren't confirmations.

If he was right, then Vale would be one step closer to leaving.

If he was wrong...the forest had many predators.

Still, he hoped that he had guessed right. With the situation as it was, he couldn't trust his fellow kind. With unsure hope, he pushed forward.

It only took at least five minutes of walking before he detected the presence of another. A quick glance answered his query, as Kaimi walked alongside him, in graceful silence. A light grin played at her lips, the Snail Princess gliding along seamlessly.

So he was right. Now he had to get her approval first.

"I have an offer." He started, Kaimi's impassive grin his only guide to her reactions.

"I need a guide to a puppeteer magician living in the forest. Thus I humbly request if you could provide such a service." He continued.

"And your payment?" Kaimi sang softly.

"My company, until we reach the destination."

The Snail Princess giggled. "Then we are in agreement." She cooed, her hand already holding his arm.

They set off, Dutch finding Kaimi's pace easy to fit in with.

"Why do you seek her?" She questioned softly.

"A promise. For someone precious to me."

She gave him a light grin. "I like promises. They show...commitment."

"I don't know. Some promises aren't meant to be kept." Dutch returned.

"Then it requires commitment not to keep it."

"Perhaps...or luck." He returned thoughtfully.

Kaimi's eyes tracked his. "You have seen the promise of death, haven't you?" She whispered.

"Too many."

"But you are so gentle." She continued.

"Gentle? That's just my outer shell. You should see what happens when I start fighting. I like being...efficient."

Kaimi shook her head slowly. "No, you are you. That shell is you. I can see it."

"It's...detachable." Dutch returned."It's the part of me that hides who I truly am. I have no illusion, I know what I am. Anything different would be fooling myself."

Kaimi simply shook her head at him.

* * *

><p>Human Village<p>

Tenma felt...uncomfortable.

Then again, heading into the residential area of a village that wasn't accepting of your nature would draw such a feeling. She could feel the eyes of families all centered on her.

A slight breeze wafted past her, flowing along the road and in alley ways. She had picked up a retinue, it seemed. The armed guards followed along alleys, keeping out of sight.

Definitely not out of mind. She redirected her power, commanding the air to flow around the guards she detected. Where they moved, she would know.

All this was masked behind a stoic face. She preferred to show no emotions, give no hint to those around her. In the lands of the Other, it was best not to give off too many signals.

A disturbance in the air made her glance into an alleyway, eyes searching.

She caught the glimpse of hungry eyes. A clenched mouth was her answer, the furthest she would go. It seemed that some people were willing to look past her nature. If only they continued beyond her looks.

Still, a promise was binding. She had to deliver the knife to the man's family, if not for Dutch, then for herself, it was only courtesy.

The directions she acquired from the tavern keep seemed simple enough. If they were right, she was close to her destination.

She entertained the thought of using her power to double check the directions and squashed it immediately. It would disgrace her former role of scout captain if she couldn't even follow simple directions.

The mention of her old position made her pause. It had been a lengthy time since the events of the lunar invasion and her ascension into the role of tengu lord. Even for long lived beings like herself, she still felt the fateful events of that invasion closely.

The effects still resonated in Gensokyo. The Onis' fall from their position of power and the drastic reduction in youkai population were effects born from that ill-fated invasion. She remembered a time when the youkai numbered among the animal as equals. Now? The only time humans feel truly threatened was when the full moon was up.

How things had changed...

Her movements stopped as she faced one particular building. She palmed the knife, feeling it slide out of its sheath. A simple tool and the consequences of it.

"How may I help you?"

Tenma turned to face the speaker, a pair of experienced eyes gazed back at her from a weathered face, framed by hazel locks.

"Ah...I have an item for the owner of this house." Tenma informed her, a slight unsureness in her voice.

The woman smiled. "I am. What do you have for me?"

Tenma stretched out her hand, the knife partly exposed from it's sheath. She saw the sequence of emotions in the woman's eyes.

Pure undiluted loss. Infinite sadness. And rather unexpectedly, closure.

"Did you..." The woman questioned, tears falling.

"No. I found him in the forest. The feral youkai had gotten to him already." Tenma whispered.

The now widow smiled through her tears. "Wo-would you like to come in?" She choked."He would have wanted that."

The tengu nodded solemnly.

* * *

><p>"Ah geez! Everyone's got something to do and here we are lazing around." Renko complained.<p>

Maribel giggled, a slight hint of derision in her tone. "Shall we go find something to do then?"

"Heck no! I'm not leaving this place without a clue and wandering around aimlessly! The ghostly field club always has a plan!"

"Very well then. What do you suggest?"

Renko stopped. "I...don't know." She answered slowly, staring at the table. "This isn't our world. There's no world wide web to research from, no train timing to catch."

She looked up. "No special powers anymore. Everyone's got their own power here. We aren't unique."

"That's not a bad thing Renko." Maribel returned.

"Still, do you remember why we made this club Mary?" Renko continued. "When we swore that we would get to the place in your dreams together?"

"Well, we're here now. And we have been running around being dragged along. But now? Now it's been left to us. And I don't know what to do Mary. I really don't." She finished, glancing at her silent friend. "Mary?"

The blonde woman smiled. "Things change, don't they?"

"Yeah but..."

She giggled. "Then we change along with it. Dutch has already changed. Now, it's up to us."

"But what if we can't change back? What about home?" Renko worriedly questioned.

"We'll know when it comes. We may never reach home..." Maribel faltered, her voice slowing at the implications of her words.

'Mary..."

"...so we should make the best of it." The woman finished, adopting her smile again.

Renko staring at her. "Together?"

"Together."

The brunette closed her eyes, arranged her thoughts, released her breath and opened her eyes. What once showed turmoil was calm again.

"Alright. There has to be some kind of information center here, maybe a school or records building that we can learn from. I'll go ask the tavern keep."

Maribel nodded. "I'll follow. In case you forget."

Renko grimaced, standing up. "That was just once. And my guess was close enough the last time."

"Close but not exact." Maribel reminded, following her friend.

"Fine fine."

* * *

><p>The time was probably noon, if Dutch guessed correctly. The sun seemed at its zenith, but he was where he wanted to be.<p>

He surveyed the house. A simple, elegant two story affair, with a clear western design. The building seemed occupied, if the open windows were any indication.

"Thanks for the guidance." He said. "You won't need to be around for the return trip. I've got the route memorized."

Kaimi laughed. "Oh dear, now that would be poor etiquette. I must take you back. It would be a poor guide that only leads for half of the journey."

"...I'm not sure that there's a set time when I'll finish. You might have to wait for quite a while."

The snail princess giggled. "The forest knows. Just depart when you are ready and I will find you."

Dutch nodded. "Fine. I guess I'll see you when I do then?"

"Indeed. You are an interesting person Dutch. I will be happy to see you again." Kaimi finished, giving him a wink before leaving.

Dutch turned back to the building, taking even breaths. He felt assailed by an unexpected sensation of nervousness, holding him back. Thoughts of the overtly paranoid ran through his head.

'Come on now you idiot. It's only a house.'He thought, taking tentative steps. 'Isolated houses in the forest shouldn't pose any threats.'

He tapped on the Hazelwood door, a loud impact of bone on wood. For a long while, there was no answer, the house silent.

'Well, I guess I'll just turn on back...'

"Coming!"

'...or not.'

The clicking of the lock made him focus in the door, the knob turning. The barrier swung open but there was no one on the other side. Instead, a doll floated midair, it's western maid clothing echoing the design origin of the house.

The doll bowed to Dutch before motioning him to enter. Surprised by the reception, he followed as the door swung shut behind him. He followed the doll, the human model leading him on silently. He passed open doors, filled with the tidy mess of a meticulous busy person.

Dolls lined the walls too, in neat rows on ledges. Dutch wondered how many would spring into action if he did something dangerous.

The doll lead him into a lounge, the room bright and cozy from the sun. Motioning him to sit, it flew out, just like the maids it emulated. He took the invitation, noting the comfortable clothing-like texture of the seats. He traced the weave, also noting the handmade feel of it.

"Good afternoon."

He gazed up at the speaker, a young woman who greeted him. She wore a blue dress, simple but elegant. A white capelet covered her shoulder, the ends colored red, with sleeves of the same color reaching to her wrists from under the capelet. Various red and white ribbons dotted her attire, finishing the graceful look.

"You aren't my normal fare of houseguest. What brought you here?" She inquired.

"I was...pointed here by someone who believed that you could help me. It regards a magical sequence that I am working on."Dutch returned.

The Magician smiled."I could help you with that. But I'm sure that even you would think such an arrangement would be unfair. I would need some sort of equal answer for the services that I will provide."

"Indeed. I do have an equal answer. This." Dutch answered, taking off his Vault glove and placing it on the table.

Alice examined the crystal. The material holding it seemed of little importance but the object itself was of great significance. Her adept eyes revealed information from its surface, noting the minute emissions of massive power contained within and the telltale signs of boundaries that shielded across multiple layers of reality.

Yes, it would be an equal answer. Actually unequal, she corrected herself. The man before her had given her an artifact whose likes she hadn't seen in a long time.

Not since she left Makai.

Keeping her thoughts down, she spoke.

"Do you have any idea of its nature?"

Dutch nodded."It's a device that can store, modify and replicate anything I want apparently. If it helps, I had a magician called Marisa almost abduct me for it."

Marias tried to seize it for herself? Alice allowed herself a ghostly grin. A loss was her gain.

"How much of an extent does the artifact replicate?"

"Far enough that I was able to replicate and modify magical processes."

The puppeteer nodded. "Very well. We have an agreement then."

"How long would it take?"

"It depends. I would need to see this sequence first." She continued.

Dutch tapped the crystal. It hummed, before displaying a screen of energy, the magic sequence laid out on it.

Alice let out a small grin at the sight. It appeared that even if she hadn't asked for anything, she would have gotten access to the artifact. Either way would have given her the same ending.

At least he knew how to maximize his resources.

"I'll have to take a preliminary test before I can give you a definite answer. Until then, make yourself at home," She finished, sending out a array of dolls, each holding refreshments.

* * *

><p>Tenma surveyed the house.<p>

It was well-kept. The place was kept relatively clean, with only the mess of slight activity and that left by children piled on the floor. Space seemed a premium, the living room appearing to be the only wide space in the house.

It was modest. None too shabby or extravagant. The house was the epitome of daily life, colored with a myriad of emotions.

Now...only sadness would fill these walls. For a long time to come.

The clink of cups returned her eyes to her host. The widow sat opposite her, a broken smile on her face.

"Pardon my rudeness but you are a tengu?" She questioned.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Ah, my husband always admired your people." The widow continued.

"He had an uncommon belief then." Tenma returned.

Her host laughed. "Indeed he had. He always said 'If only we were more united like the tengu'." She recalled. "My husband never did believe the danger that our neighbors saw. He saw the good side of people."

"He seemed a good man."

"He was. I don't think anyone hated him, even for his ideas."

"You...don't seem that hurt." Tenma said gingerly.

The widow smiled robotically. "When he never came back yesterday, we assumed the worst. We hoped for his return but we prepared for it. Such a neutral word, prepare." The widow laughed.

"So thank you. Thank you for bring me proof of his passing, at least we will never be plagued by false hope. Thank you for bringing us closure." She finished, halting her tears to bow slightly to Tenma.

Tenma returned the gesture, the movement reminding her of another object.

She grabbed the small bag Dutch gave her. "He also had this on him." She noted, handing it over.

The widow looked inside, almost apprehensively and gasped. Tears flowed once more as she laughed humorlessly.

"You fool. You died and left a fortune. Why couldn't you just do it properly and leave us with sadness? Now how am I going to spend this properly?" She cried.

Tenma kept silent, a sympathetic comfort as the widow cried her loss out.

* * *

><p>"It's here?" Maribel questioned, looking up.<p>

Renko nodded. "Should be. He did say that the place would be different from the normal buildings." She responded, checking a map she had obtained.

Normal seemed a distant description, as the duo faced a simple door, a manor behind it. They could hear the hubbub of work behind the gate, the distinct sounds of people managing an estate.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained." Maribel whispered, pushing the door.

The barrier opened onto a courtyard, where attendants traveled around involved with their duties. Gingerly, the duo stepped inside, curious of how such a place could help them.

"Ah, how may I help you?" An attendant inquired, diverting from her path to receive them.

"We were told that we should come here if we needed information." Renko returned.

The attendant smiled. "You are in luck. Lady Akyuu just came back and is willing to accept visitors.

She motioned for them to follow, turning towards the immediate building. The pair trailed behind her, passing well-kept sections of garden, each a myriad of plants in co-existence.

The attendant brought them in and shut the door behind her, instantly drowning out the noise with silence.

"The manor has to be silent for Lady Akyuu to do her work." She explained.

Carrying on, they continued into the interior, where rooms displayed shelves of scrolls. Silent scribes worked on them, copying their contents.

"We copy the records by hand and keep them safe for time to come. Almost all of them come from Lady Akyuu herself." She proudly whispered.

"What is her role here?" Maribel probed.

The attendant smiled sadly. "Lady Akyuu is the child of Maire. Her purpose is to create the Gensokyo chronicle. Past that, she doesn't have long to live."

"8 editions of the chronicle have been made and recorded. Hers shall be the ninth." She finished.

"That's so cruel..." Maribel whispered.

"It's a price that must be paid for this land. I have seen one generation pass. Hers shall be my second."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Renko continued.

The attendant smiled again. "Don't be. The Lady inherits the memories of her pasts. She understands and is at terms with it."

They let the silence of the hall return, as the trio continued into the rear of the mansion.

"Lady Akyuu would be delighted to greet visitors, especially outsiders. She is very interested in the matters of the outside." The attendant continued.

"As are we in the realm." Maribel returned.

"Then we are in agreement."

The voice made the trio jump, swivelling to face the unexpected voice. A young woman in her teenage years beamed at them, short cut purple bangs trailing above a pair of smiling eyes.

"My lady." The attendant bowed.

"As you were, Yuki. I'll lead them from here on." The woman instructed.

"Thank you for your help."

The attendant nodded before leaving. Renko and Maribel followed the woman as she lead them into a bright room, a wide door presenting a silent garden.

"Relaxing, isn't it? I like silence." Akyuu smiled as she sat down.

"So I heard that you desire knowledge?" She prodded.

"Yes."

"Very good. So do I. Shall we have an equivalent exchange?" She continued. The glances that her two counterparts exchanged made her panic,

"I'm not trying to be overbearing or anything." She babbled." It's just that I really want to know about events in the outside and you two are the newest arrivals."

"Oh. That's fine then." Renko smiled, relief evident.

Akyuu grinned. "Excellent. I think you will need something to keep your mind active, anyhow, with the amount of information that you need to learn." She noted, pulling a large stack of books.

Renko and Maribel grinned at each other.

* * *

><p>Alice examined the crystal with great interest.<p>

Her initial suspicions were correct. The artifact held immense magical power, enough to raze the majority of Gensokyo and it's neighbours should it become unstable. Yet it was a simple characteristic, a property of it's nature.

What the artifact truly had was an artificial reality. A magically created universe, crammed into a solid crystal. She couldn't even begin to guess at the amount of spell work that went into the creation of this item. The scale and intricacy of it meant that it had to have taken several centuries before it was complete.

It rivaled her mother in terms of nature. Just like Makai, whoever controlled it had the power of creation, formed using raw magical energy.

The research gleaned from it would benefit her greatly.

Smiling to herself, Alice got to work. A light tap revealed the sequence once more, suspended by beams of light.

She followed the path of the sequence, frowning the further she went.

It wasn't...wrong, she concluded but it had a strange series of mistakes. Every time a value had to be placed, it was at the maximum or the minimum, never something in between.

It would be be a simple matter to adjust it to the correct settings but she decided not to. It would be of better use to impart some knowledge through self-correction, she viewed, than to simply correct the problem.

It would be a better payment.

She sent Shanghai to a shelf and pulled out a book. It's contents were hopelessly basic for her but she believed it would be a good start for her counterpart.

She then focused on her actual task.

She called forth a magic circle and placed the glove in it, both lighting up. A twitched finger sent a probing tendril of magic along its surface, curling around the object.

A flick made it enter the crystal, an infinitesimal entry of power. Alice increased the amount, sending more energy to disappear into the crystal. She pulsed the tendril, seeking an answer.

She was rewarded with an equivalent answer.

A different tendril pulsed back in answer. It spiraled around hers, never touching but close enough..

Alice fired off a portion of her power, a query in magical terms. She hoped to get an answer, to gauge the intelligence of her counterpart.

She expected an echo or even a return of her query. But what she got was a proper answer, the kind that continued and ended conversations.

Clearly, it was of no feral mind. So Alice fired off a series of probes, slowly increasing in frequency. She tweaked the nature of the probes each time, applying varying power levels.

The artifact returned her salvo just as quickly. Each answer was the equal of each question, her power mirrored by her counterpart.

They continued this exchange, increasing the speed until both were communicating at blistering speeds. Probes were formed and answered in split seconds.

Alice blinked calmly. As fast as it was , this was simply child's play in fast forward. To up the ante, she crafted an actual question and let fly even as she continued her rapid probing.

_Who are you?_

Her counterpart answered amidst a barrage of her own probes and answers.

_I am the Entity of the Vault._

Alice digested the information while answering this new counterattack. Even as she prepared a particularly wide spread barrage of probes, her answer was already on its way.

_You are the spirit Of this artifact?_

It was better to question the obvious then not question at all.

_Yes._

She nodded to herself. Now that she knew who she was talking to, perhaps a read of the owner of this object was in order.

_And the man who wields this artifact?_

This question generated a short pause, even as the stalemate of probe and answer continued frenziedly.

_He is the Vault's master...and more._

It was a treasure trove of information, showing but not telling. Alice decided to cease this line of questioning. What happened between spirit and master was not of her concern.

_What role do you play?_

Such general powers as storage and replication had to have some serious care taking going on behind the scenes. While she knew that her counterpart was powerful and proficient enough to answer her, the function was pretty much unknown.

_I manage all stored objects and ensure the well being of the Vault Master._

That's a start, Alice mused.

* * *

><p>Dutch felt...lonely.<p>

Not that the human-like dolls didn't keep him company but without the glove in his hand, Vale's presence seemed distant. Almost gone, even.

And without her presence, his head felt empty and thus, lonely.

That usually wouldn't be a problem. In fact, he once liked empty. With no outside noise blaring its way in, it gave him space to think.

And think he did. In fact, with the constant activity around him, he hadn't had time to actually think alone. He reran the past few days, as a part of him scrutinized it, adopting a neutral position as he told himself his conclusions.

He wished for the moment he could establish contact with Vale again. It was distressing not having her presence in his head...Almost like an addiction, a part of him whispered in warning.

It was such a rapid change from a month ago that he felt somewhat overwhelmed if he thought about it. It had gone from a single sphere of energy to this beautiful girl that he couldn't get out of his head.

And he wouldn't change it in any other way. Vale had gone too deep for him to let her go. She knew his thoughts, his memories and the darkness that dwelled inside him.

And her acceptance, expressed after all that, was beyond his imagination. She never condemned him but received him, his safety her only demand.

He could return her emotions. He not only had to, but indeed wanted to too.

A part of him gave its assent; however that same part of his mind added a quick note of warning about his actions towards her rival.

The sound of footsteps made him look up, as the Magician returned. She had a wide smile, a good sign.

"It is an excellent payment. In fact, I feel obliged to give you something more. A gift of knowledge." She announced, as a doll flew from behind her holding a book.

"Your sequence does have certain errors, however I believe it is of greater benefit to you if you discovered it yourself. I can present a stepping stone for you to fix it yourself." She continued. "If you accept, you will have to return everyday until the process is complete. I will check it for you."

"Or alternatively, should you not have the time, I can fix it for you."

Dutch nodded. He saw her offer as it was, a much better trade then what he gave her. She had just offered him the power of knowledge.

He had to work but he would learn. And that was a very high gift indeed.

"I'll receive your gift gratefully." He answered.

The Magician nodded. "Very well. We shall be seeing each other a lot then Mr..."

He grinned. "Dutch."

"Alice. Alice Margatroid."

* * *

><p>Vale smiled in blissful contentment.<p>

The Vault was back in Dutch's hands again and as such, their bond was once again whole.

Just his presence was an added level of comfort to her, knowing that she knew his condition instantly and any changes which had taken place since her "absence".

Still, the conversation with the magician was exhilarating. She had never experienced such active interaction, holding a conversation while firing and answering probes

She had never received such an exercise before. To know that such frantic matches were an easy feat for her was encouraging.

With a proud smile, she looked at her latest project. It's was originally Dutch's but she decided that she would finish it. Her personal contribution to his safety.

Her mind brushed his, drawing a happier smile from her. The person connected to her.

She will protect him. This will protect him.

* * *

><p>"Do you have a significant other?"<p>

Tenma blinked in surprise at the sudden question. They were at the door and she was preparing to depart.

"No..." She returned automatically.

The widow smiled. "But there is one you seek."

Tenma slowly nodded. "He's different from me. He's human." She returned.

The widow took her hand and placed the knife in it, bare of decorations. "Then I wish you luck. Maybe you'll find the ending you wish for." She whispered, closing her hand

Tenma looked at the knife. "But..."

"It's just a tool. The memories it had inhabit the decorations it once wore. Now, let it wear a new set of decorations. Let it hold a new set of memories." The widow smiled shakily.

"He would have wanted it this way." She finished, weeping anew.

"...Thank you." Tenma answered a slightly pitying inflection in her tone.

* * *

><p>Dutch stared at the book.<p>

It, surprisingly enough, was readable. The words weren't some faraway language but familiar human words. Taking a quick leaf through, he saw long instructions, spread out by small paragraphs.

Sending the book into the infinite holds of the vault, he looked up at the sky. The sunlight was a brilliant pink hue, a clear indication that dusk was approaching.

Best be on his way.

The memory of his journey earlier made the return trip seem natural. Casual footsteps recounted the ones taken before.

A single pair turned into two.

Kaimi brushed his hand. "How was it?" She inquired.

"Rewarding. That being said, I'm going to have to return again to continue this."

"Oh? Would you require a escort?" She continued.

"That would be nice. For the sake of company."

The snail princess giggled. "Indeed. Though it would be nicer if you had left later..." She sighed.

"Wouldn't later be more dangerous?"

"True. But there is an establishment that opens at night. It's servings are excellent."

Dutch frowned. "I would accept the offer but certain...people find my comings and goings suspicious enough. Anything that would antagonise them any further would be.. inconvenient."

"Oh, I can help you with that." Kaimi offered, resting her hand in his arm.

He thought of it, weighing the cons. "Very well I guess." He gave in.

* * *

><p>At least the sentries didn't look like they were going to riddle him in the back this time.<p>

Still, Dutch wondered how Kaimi was going to help him with them. Unless she had some kind of free pass, he didn't see any way that he wouldn't be on the receiving end of intense scrutiny.

Yet what was done was done. He decided to make a note to question her tomorrow. The more he knew, the better.

As he slid the tavern room door open, emptiness greeted him. Shrugging at the lack of occupants, he lay down on the floor and looked at the ceiling.

The sound of the door opening made him look up.

"I thought tengu were fast?" He quipped.

Tenma smiled. "Except when matters demand it."

"I see. How was it?"

Her silent shake was all the answer he needed.

"Yeah.. stupid question." Dutch sighed.

"I'll still return. To pay my respects."

"Yeah, you do that." He smiled warmly.

They lapsed into silence as Tenma sat down next to him.

"You ever thought of it? Dying, I mean?" Dutch questioned.

"Sometimes. It takes a lot to kill a tengu." She mused, plucking a stray feather from her lustrous silver hair.

Her eyes turned thoughtful. "Even then, I have sent off those who lost their lives. Sometimes they were overwhelmed in the heat of battle, others.. stayed behind. Very rarely did we fight an equivalent enemy, by fate or design."

"The moon?" He prodded.

"That was a rare one. We had a powerful army . The Oni still led us and their strength was beyond imagination. That and the raw power of massed youkai made the army almost unstoppable." She remembered.

Then her eyes clouded. "But the Lunarians stopped it. Their rabbits paid the price in blood to do so. Hundreds, thousands died everyday, trying to stop us. For a while they couldn't."

"Then the moon sent its drones. They weren't as numerous as the rabbits but they didn't need numbers. By then, all those different youkai had started to fight amongst each other. Differences in everything drove them to do so."

"And then the Oni saw battle and followed. They wanted a fight and so we had to follow." She whispered, her voice sorrowful.

"The moon knew their desires and provided it. Our entire army charged into a Lunarian army. We were fighting an equal match."

She relived the battle in seconds. "No-one won." She finished.

"I'm sorry." Dutch whispered.

The youkai lord smiled. "There is a song. It's in ancient tengu, to honor the dead for their actions for their people." She answered.

And then she sang. Dutch didn't know the meanings but it was conveyed nonetheless. It was a tribute, one made of pride, reverence and mourning. A simple song, with so much meaning.

As the last words flowed from her lips, Tenma realised she was crying. Her hand reached up, fingers touching one of the falling droplet. A brush from Dutch made her start.

He smiled. "You truly are your people." He whispered as he wiped the tears away.

The silver haired woman laughed sorrowfully.

* * *

><p>"The moon..." Maribel breathed.<p>

"Mary?" Renko questioned, turning away from her own book.

"I remember what I saw but to know that such a civilization exists, one even more powerful than our own." The blonde whispered."Unbelievable."

"But it's not helpful to us Mary. We need to know about this land. To know what awaits us onward."

Yet her friend shook her head."You didn't see it Renko. When I unlocked the door, it was two moons, one behind the other. I think it means more than that. I think that the object that he has came from there."

The brunette started. "From the moon? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Remember when Yukari said that he drew attention from the more reclusive members of the magical realm? Those that live on the moon hid themselves from view because they wanted to be left alone. It all fits together." She muttered.

"How powerful is the moon?" Renko probed.

"Enough to stop a youkai army. And if they are targeting Dutch because of that thing..." Maribel whispered.

Her friend growled. "Dammit! Why doesn't he tell us these things!"

"He wouldn't. It's not like him to tell us about anything dangerous."

"Still!"

The sound of a door opening made them turn. Akyuu smiled as she entered. "It's almost dusk. Are you leaving soon?" She asked.

"I think we need more time here. Is it possible..."

The child of Maire smiled. "Of course. I would be only too happy to host you while you learn. I'll instruct the attendants to prepare a pair of rooms for you. And don't worry; the tavern you stay at will be informed."

The pair nodded their thanks as their host left. The moment they were alone, both got to the task of learning, feverishly learning about the moon.

One thing was for certain, Dutch couldn't hide this from them anymore.

* * *

><p>Dutch touched his lips.<p>

Both of them had decided to have an early sleep, both in bed immediately after dinner. Still, he stayed awake, thinking the time away.

He glanced to his side, where Tenma slept on her own futon.

Just like before, he thought of the hold she placed and her rival's. Either would demand a choice from him.

Just like before, he couldn't. His mind could only accommodate one or the other. Yet to forget either of them seemed impossible.

Something was helping him. He hadn't heard a single word from his soulmate about his action and he knew their bond was deep enough. If she searched, she would know.

He should take this chance. Find out where he stood. And hope that he didn't destroy Vale's heart in the process.

Speaking of her, he closed his eyes, and reopened them in the Vault. There she stood, smiling at him. Waiting for him to return to her.

'You're back.' She whispered.

"Was there any doubt?" He returned equally.

The girl giggled before walking up to him. Her wings unfurled as she took off, a single beat to send her afloat, magic keeping her airborne as she reached around his neck to draw him in.

Their minds melded as their bond flooded with emotions, a heady cocktail of feelings.

She broke away first, smiling proudly. That was when Dutch realized that he was encased in something.

"This is..." He started as he looked at his hands.

'Your armor. Taken from your defeated foes, now changed to protect you.'Vale announced, her hand on said armor.

It was made of the same metallic weave that he used to create his glove, with some additions. Actual plating protected his body and limbs, interlocking with the weave itself to compromise between defense and mobility.

The color was different, a dark hue of blue, almost black.

'My blessing. For you to be safe.' Vale finished, before calling a helmet into her hands and placing it onto his head.

It fit perfectly. A light blue visor surrounded him, completely shutting him in. Then the visor became transparent, revealing what lay beyond the armor. Dutch could see Vale, proudly looking at him.

'Like a knight.' She smiled. Her vision merged with his for a split second and Dutch saw a faceless suit of armor, visor staring at himself, like a silent guardian. 'My knight.'

'Thank you.' He answered.

The vault entity simply held onto him. 'Just be safe.'

* * *

><p>Vale mumbled as her wings twitched.<p>

Her partner smiled as he brushed an errant lock from her eyes. He happily watched her sleep, embracing the peace that drifted from her.

She would probably disapprove of him not being in the the same state.

Still, there was work to be done and time had to be wasted only sparingly. Sleep, while essential and comfortable, could be ignored.

He called forth the book that Alice gave to him and flipped through it. Most of it had diagrams and symbols that he didn't understand.

But the words he did, and that was all he needed.

As he settled in for the long read, a groan from her made him sigh. He moved his hand to hers, gripping hers in a strong hold.

With a content smile, Vale pulled his hand closer.

That made him chuckle. And reaffirmed his resolve.

For her freedom, a little sleep could be ignored.

* * *

><p>Even with the Sage unaware of his location, the shadow still cast a restless light.<p>

Watching the preparations continue in the trap he made, he stayed still. If the Sage had any inkling of their location, they would know it. The very fact that they had not yet been attacked was good enough.

Heavy footsteps kept him looking straight ahead. The workers ignored the newcomer, out of fear and respect.

"Overseer." The shadow greeted. "Have your prey been found yet?"

His counterpart growled in a clicking manner.

"I see. I trust you will find him soon then?"

A clicking hiss in response.

"Very well. Are your thralls up to it?"

With those words, two pairs of eyes lit up from the darkness. The newcomer growled.

"Excellent. May our mutual benefactor be pleased with your victory." The shadow finished.

The eyes and newcomer disappeared back into the darkness, as the shadow returned to watching.

His plans were coming along. Everything was moving along perfectly and there was no need for alarm.

But restless he stayed, as he watched the key to his plans wheeled into the trap. Years of planning, of festering revenge lay fresh in his mind. The clash was coming and he knew that she would fight his fire with her own...

And he had the brightest fire of all.


	39. Branching Paths

The Next Chapter, Late as it is.

Now before anyone rip me apart over the digital/analog part, yes, I pulled it out of my memory. If i am wrong, tell me.

I currently in my holidays so speed should be increased. Or lets put it this way, the chapters can't get any slower.

Thanks to **Ban3** for his work.

* * *

><p>Vale awoke.<p>

Something was wrong, she thought, even with her body still resting. The vault told her of the few hours passed. Yet, the bond was cluttered, busy with activity.

She opened her eyes.

Dutch looked back at her, book in hand."Hey." He grinned, hand in the cookie jar.

The spirit frowned.'It's late.' She scolded.

"Yea but I want to get some work done. Just go back to sleep. I'll finish soon."He returned.

Displeasure filled Vale's eyes.'No, you won't.' She growled before crawling onto him.

She pushed the book down before staring into his eyes.'Sleep.' She commanded, eyes resolute. Their bond surged with her decree, tugging down on his mind.

The man grinned. "Soon." He returned shakily, barely holding against her order.

'Now.' She asserted, before closing in for a kiss. The contact allowed her to seize his mind, overwhelming him in a deluge of touch and thought.

And thus she pulled him into the dark abyss of sleep, intertwining their minds.

'But...' He protested before being silenced by her.

'Sleep.' She finished, letting the darkness embrace them both.

* * *

><p>Dutch awoke to the silent ringing of his biological clock.<p>

The split second move he made before she assumed control worked, it seemed. He had slept far shorter than he usually did.

His eyes gazed at Vale, on top of him, admiring her resting face. His hands moved to brush against her cheek.

She wasn't a hassle to carry. In fact, she was a comfortable weight, gently pressing down on him.

But why she was there seemed more pertinent. As he expected, she was unhappy with his lack of sleep. Even seizing his mind...clearly if he wanted proceed any further with work, he had to move gently for now.

Yet he was thankful to her. With her forced rest, he could return to work with a fresh mind. And he did, recalling the book and opening to the page where he had left off.

And then paused.

Alice told him that the mistakes he had could be fixed by him, himself. That meant that she felt that he could find out what was wrong.

But the book she gave him appeared was simple. Simple enough that he was easily a third of the way though the book.

Whatever the nature of his problem, Dutch guessed that the book would be of little help. Given the intricate magic in the sequence, the problem would either be fixable without the book or far too complicated even with the book involved.

And so he sent the book back to the vault and summoned the sequence. He took care to move Vale as little as possible, keeping his body from the arms down still.

His eyes scanned the sequence. With the speed of a creator looking at his own work, he quickly reached the end of the sequence. Certain parts were different from the initial design but a quick study concluded that these changes were due to his change with Vale. Clearly, the vault had changed the spell work accordingly to its owner. More worryingly he had gone through without spotting any errors.

He decided to break up the sequence in different parts and looked at each one. Forcing himself to scan slowly, Dutch checked the sequence again.

As he conducted his work, he ignored the painstaking urge to fill the next few lines with the lines that he remembered and skim ahead. Slowly, irritatingly, he reached the end and once more came up empty.

With such a revision rate, there was only one thing that he could conclude. The problem in the sequence was innate and systemic.

The implications were worrying. If he did find the error, then the house of cards would collapse and the problem would be fixed. But right now, he couldn't find said house of cards anyway.

If so, then his best bet would be to let Alice fix it. That meant that her gift would be squandered.

The knowledge she offered would be gone. And knowledge lost was knowledge wasted.

And he disliked waste.

So he decided on a different measure. Leaving the sequence as it was, he created another and rebuilt the sequence on that, restarting his work. While the processes worked, he observed, analyzing each step, hoping that this time, the problem would be solved.

As the time carried on, his past conclusion seemed more valid. He just couldn't find any issue with the sequence, either with the old one or the new either. The problem really seemed shrouded from him, a wrench in the cogs that was proper to him.

As he watch the rebuilding process assign a value of one for magic power for one of the supporting spell structures, he considered closing the reconstruction. It appeared to be an exercise in futility and he might as well cancel it.

As his hand reached for the kill command, he paused.

A value of one?

That wasn't wrong. The vault adapted itself to work with his nanites so it would translate itself from magical terms to digital. It was the only way he could have created the sequences.

And the digital worked differently. It ran on a basis of ones and zeros and the coding functioned as a manipulation of such. Zero was...well zero and one was the only alternative. Anything that was not nothing was one.

Everything seemed to stop as his mind continued along this thought path. With one and zero being the only values, there could be only a maximum or minimums with nothing in between.

As he came to this revelation, his mind pulled a tidbit of information from the information stored in the nanites.

One problem that came from converting information to digital form was the loss of material. While the conversion allowed for the easy copying of said information, the digital form could only hold ones and zeros and their equivalents. Anything in between that setting was ignored.

With that tidbit, Dutch thought up with an important question. With magical changed to digital, everything was set in ones and zeros or maximums or minimums.

When digital was converted back, wouldn't it stay as such?

The answer to that question was a lightbulb.

Dutch knew he could be wrong but it seemed so right. Anticipation coursed through him as he scanned the sequence once again, each one value giving him a rising feeling of excitement. When he reached the end, he sported a massive grin.

He had it. Now to fix it.

Carefully, he eased Vale off him, gingerly sliding out from under her until he was free. Silently, he got off the bed, making his way to the door.

A whine from Vale made him pause. Returning to her, he kissed her forehead and smiled at her.

'I love you.' He thought to her.'So, please, let me do this. For you.'

* * *

><p>Vale awoke.<p>

Once again, something felt wrong.

Once again, their bond was cluttered with activity.

She opened her eyes and saw an empty bed, a ruffled pillow where Dutch once slept. Exasperation lit in her eyes as she crawled off, pouting.

She opened the door to see him working away at the interface, each key tap a change in the sequence above him. The man worked almost feverishly, his hands constantly flying across the keyboard.

Ending a staccato symphony, he leaned back against the chair and sighed. She could see the workings of his mind, slowly checking each line for errors and mistakes.

Vale took her chance. Silently walking to him, she placed her hands on his shoulders, startling him.

'You should have slept.' She whispered.

Dutch stayed still.'I know. But I have to finish this.'

'But we have time. Please, I just want you safe.'

'As do I. And this Is the only way you will be able to.' Dutch finished, turning to face her.

'To the best of my ability.' He repeated, staring into her blue depths.

She let out a laughing whimper before hugging him tight, a single tear down her cheek.

* * *

><p>Tenma checked herself.<p>

While she didn't bring anything formal, she still took the effort to smarten herself up. Checking herself, she adjusted her sword and frowned. What was she missing?

Right, her hair.

She palmed a hairpin and reach for her hair. She was halfway through the motions of tying when she realized that she was tying her regal hairstyle.

She huffed in frustration and allowed her work tumble back down her shoulders. A chuckle made her turn.

"You look amazing formal. Even without your usual attire." Dutch grinned.

The youkai lord smiled. "Indeed. But it would be a poor skill if one needs a specific attire to look the part."

"Perhaps."He noted, before taking the golden feather from his pocket."I think this will suit you better."

The woman looked at the pin, unconsciously remembering the close call they had. "I don't think that would be fine." She whispered.

"Oh I believe it will. You haven't attacked anyone here have you? Proves that you've adapted to us. It'll be fine." He returned.

The tengu paused and smiled. "Maybe. But you're right. I guess I did change." She noted, taking the feather.

An old memory made her smile again. She closed her eyes and let her hands follow through. Dutch watched as her hair slowly disappeared into a tidy weave at the back of her head

She smiled. "An old technique I learned before my ascension."

"You definitely look different. Just as great but different."

"I'll keep that in mind." She returned, giving herself one last look over.

"Wait, so early?

She nodded sadly. "They have been expecting the news. We at least granted them the luxury of a short wait."

"I see." Dutch answered, sighing at the whole affair. Everything started from him after all.

She turned to him and smiled. "Don't feel saddened by this. If anything, you've done well." She whispered.

"Yea, well...unforeseen consequences." He replied, noticing something out of place.

"That knife..."

Tenma smiled. "She passed it on to me. As a wish for the future."

"I see. Keep that wish strong."

The tengu nodded. "I fully intend to."

* * *

><p>Renko sighed as she mulled over the knowledge she had learned.<p>

It was disheartening to learn about the moon. An absolute utopia, with all effort reduced to the minimum and all ailments gone.

The problem was that said utopia shut itself off from everything else. They were happy to be sealed up in their little bubble, content to view everyone else with contempt.

And now, they were coming for Dutch.

She had felt first hand their capabilities. She acutely remembered the loss of life she felt when purity touched her. Everything felt...gone.

To know that even more of such power stood ready to strike made her shiver. Soldier or not, Renko knew that would be the point when Dutch would fall.

Before that happened, she needed to gain power. At the very least, she had to be able to help defend him until the month was up. It was the only way she could return the effort he spent to defend them.

A dark voice whispered into her ear, telling her the futility of her resolve. After all, he was going to the moon. What was the point of protecting him if he walked into the lion den?

Perhaps, the dark voice continued, she could replace him. Take the vault and ensure that he didn't go. She could hide better than he did, with her abilities. And with her power, she could find anyone.

With the vault, she would be uncatchable.

The brunette shook her head. The only way she would gain hold of the vault was if she forcefully ripped from Dutch. And from what Yukari said, she had to tear it from his soul.

It would be ironic if she killed him in the process of saving him.

She whacked the side of her head. What had gone into her?

This world was definitely changing her. Power and the urge to gain more had never whispered into her mind until now.

Or was it perhaps because she had never used it before? Before, she didn't think of her ability as magic. Something that wasn't normal, that was for sure. But nothing like magic.

Now, after learning and using her power, there was a constant urge to increase that. It gave her chills as she pondered just how far the urge might push her.

Perhaps this was her inner self, finally awakened.

The brunette whacked herself again. It wasn't her and she would keep it that way.

The urge retreated back into her mind.

* * *

><p>Past the guards, who still look like they wanted to shoot him and into the forest Dutch strode. He wondered if the forest or the village was safer, with the amount of suspicion he got from the guards.<p>

"You don't actually seem to be interested, are you?" An annoyed voice noted.

He turned to the words, it's owner leaning against a tree.

"I have my reasons for that."He muttered.

Yukari's eye twitched. "And what reason might that be?"

"Well, I don't think all of this was because of random timing. Something must have triggered it and the closest thing that I know of was the appearance of the Vault. All I am doing right now is ensuring that they don't get what they want. A fail safe measure."

The youkai sage growled. "Be that as it may, it would be of some assurance if you showed at least some concern. We both know the nature of the threat we face."

"Why would they detonate it? It seems hardly of any value to rule over a place that has been reduced to a radioactive tip. Extremely counter productive, I might add." He returned.

"Don't underestimate the danger of a someone who wants it all. All of this is a play for power and diminished power is better than no power." Yukari answered.

Dutch sighed. "Fine. I will get on with it... Once this is concluded."

That made Yukari hiss. "It will be all on you if this goes wrong. Trust me, the moon has nothing to the result of your failure." She returned.

"I did this for 3 years. Believe me, you aren't the first to say that. What about your end?"

The Sage growled frustratedly. "I can't find them either, through power nor agent. These people know what they are doing. So find them, before they do something." She finished, vanishing.

'She's threatening.' Vale growled.

'No, she's worried. Can't blame her.' He sighed.

'Still...' The spirit trailed off.

"Oh dear, you appear to have some rather high stakes." Kaimi smiled, emerging from the trees.

Dutch felt Vale tense up as he turned to the snail princess.

"I had worse. All in a day's work." He returned.

Kaimi giggled."Shall we?" She invited.

A nod and they set off.

"If you may, Dutch, who is this that you commit yourself for?" She continued.

"Someone very dear to me. Someone who has proven herself in many ways and deserves my full effort." He replied, adoration in his tone.

"Oh? I would very much like to meet her then. If I may further ask, what has she done?" Kaimi said.

"Too much. But I shall keep with the most important. She died for me."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that." Kaimi whispered.

"Perhaps that is a wrong choice of words. She still lives. I managed to bring her back. But it is still the same. For what she did, anything less would be a mistake."

"Indeed. Now I really wish to meet her. To see who would embody such admirable devotion." She added.

Dutch stayed silent. "If it goes well..." He started. "Do you know of any clearing in the forest that would be suitable for a magic spell? Preferably somewhere safe.

"I do know a few. Is this related?"

"Yes. If my meeting with the magician goes well, I want to finish this as soon as possible. Tonight would be the best time, except for the time itself." He noted.

Kaimi smiled. "Do not fret. I know of places that the youkai will not enter."

"Very well. After this establishment of yours, could you lead me there?"

That made Kaimi smile wider. "It would be a pleasure."

* * *

><p>Silent.<p>

Solemn.

That was how most funerals went and this was no different.

Due to the lack of a body, it would be an empty coffin affair. The aggrieved conducted the funeral with robotic moves, silently carrying on with the motions.

Tenma kept a short and clear distance from the proceedings. These people were stricken with grief. Her intrusion would only bring more problems to the family.

Still, she watched the crowd. A number of people had turned up to offer their last respects but she knew that many more had already given their condolences. It was only the necessity of work that had kept them from coming.

After all, humans weren't as long lived nor were they as resilient as the tengu. Death was the end in their fates and they accepted it.

Many more would arrive later, when they could. But for now, Tenma watched these that had.

She looked as a flame was prepared. Cremation was the norm, with space at a premium and expansions into the forest dangerous. The dead had to make way for the living.

And indeed one day, she would too.

She thought of her legacy. A thousand years was a long time and she had guided her people through thick and thin. That would be her legacy.

Yet her mind continued to wonder, attempting to resolve the other issues which had begun to clamour in her mind. It would be of impossible chance to bear a child, with her position. She would need time out of office to do so and she would not deprive the village of that, not for that length of time.

And the sire would be an uproar no matter her choice.

At least, she thought amusedly, it would bring an end to the discussions of her type.

She watched as the fire was lowered. The flames licked the coffin slowly, blackening the wood, before speeding up. Soon, the coffin was a bonfire, crackling in the heat.

Tenma fed the flames, directing the wind in the wind to bring the fire higher. It rose, letting off waves of heat that even she felt.

She felt an errant gust blow in. Letting it pass, she stood silently as it sent the heat and ashes into her direction, even as the other attendees moved out of the way.

She could smell the scent of burning mushrooms. Perhaps a bit of his last gathering went along with him, she concluded.

It was fitting.

Soon, the fire consumed everything, along with itself . She watched the smoke curl, the aftermath of an end.

One of the attendees made her way over to her. She was a few years short of her prime, with her mother's hazel hair. Strangely enough, she smiled at the tengu, even within puffy eyes.

"So you are the one." The girl said.

"Indeed." Tenma simply said. The girl had probably heard enough condolences.

"Father always loved meeting people like you. He had had very animated conversations with the newspaper tengu." She continued.

"I would have liked to have met him too, if that is so."

The girl sniffled. "Mother told me what happened. But I want to know. Did he die fighting?"

Tenma thought of the answer. The truth would hurt her. Yet...it was the truth.

She decided. "He passed on for the benefit of everyone." She said. It revealed nothing and in a way, was the truth. His death revealed to Dutch the intentions of the enemy.

"Thank you." The girl smiled, even as tears trickled forth again. Movement made Tenma glance aside, where the mother had appeared.

"Oh dear, please don't disturb the tengu. She has seen enough." The widow whispered. She guided her daughter back to the crowd, where she was enveloped by a comforting circle

The mother returned. "Thank you, for coming." She whispered.

"It was only necessary." Tenma returned.

"Perhaps. If you ever need anything from us, please..."

"Are you sure? I will carry his shadow." Tenma returned.

"His shadow will be larger if he knew that his death kept a tengu from our doors. You have done only service to us. Please, let us help you too." The widow answered.

"...Very well. If I ever need it." The tengu finished.

The widow nodded before returning to the crowd. A figure in the distance drew her attention.

It was one of the village guards, rifle slung along his back. He gave her a nod before turning away.

Tenma watched his figure leave.

In the ashes, the last embers lit and died.

* * *

><p>While it was stuck right in the middle of a deadly forest, Dutch noted how Alice's home looked like something out of a fairy tale. The way it was constructed would have been perfect for any fable.<p>

Of course, looks hid and this was no different. With a light knock, the door opened and a doll greeted him again. With a curtsey, it led him to the lounge where Alice sat waiting.

The magician smiled at him. "Welcome back, Dutch. Was my gift enlightening?"

"Very, but nothing related to the sequence." Dutch returned as he took a seat.

The magician nodded as their conversation restarted. "Indeed. I spent the night thinking and i mean to ask you about your spell. It's quite high level magic. What's your proficiency in the arcane arts?"

"None." He admitted frankly. "Literally everything that I made was helped along by the Vault."

"I see. That would explain the strange design."

"In what?"

"Your framework for the sequence isn't what I normally see. Instead of magic powering runes, you simply mould the raw magic itself to suit your purpose. Peculiar but it should work."

"It's somewhat of a unique design and has potential for some very interesting uses. I can't really confirm that though, for I haven't seen such a design before." Alice noted, as a trio of dolls appeared behind her.

"Still, such a thing has made me interested in the designer. If I may, I wish to find out your magic potential. A simple harmless test." She offered, as the three dolls all pulled out a roll of string each.

"Very well then. It would be enlightening to me as well." Dutch agreed.

The three doll descended to the table between them. One gestured for his hand which he brought out.

The dolls wrapped the strings around his finger, each intersecting with the others, before holding the ends with their other hands.

"It's a straightforward procedure, just channeling magic and seeing the results." Alice described as the strings all started to pulse with light. Each pulse halted at an intersection and split, half following the new path and the rest continuing on. They watched as more splits happened, until the strings were a mess of pulses, some merging with the others and splitting again. None returned to the dolls, as the pulses stayed around his finger.

"Hmm, interesting." Alice noted. "Discouraging but interesting nonetheless."

"What do you mean?"

But the magician stayed silent as the dolls stopped the display before unwrapping the strings. Rolling them back up again, they bowed before flying off.

Their master kept quiet as she stared at nothing, clearly thinking. As she focused on Dutch again, her eyes were set.

"Do you know the rare types of magic?" She questioned.

"Can't say I do."

"On the magic spectrum, there are certain rare types. The most obvious are those of natural power, those whose magic are incredibly powerful, be it from deep reserves or the nature of the magic that they have. The most obvious you would know of is Yukari-san. These are usually youkai but humans can fit this type as well." Alice started.

"And then there's the other side of the spectrum. Some people don't have magic reserves, instead, they have a magic vacuum. These kinds of power can cancel out normal magic or even absorb it. Certain kinds of beings even live like this."

"Now most people tend to have some level of magic. Of these, the majority would have little knowledge of it or use, with the amount of power they have. It would show up in a test but they couldn't use it, it being too low."

Then she focused on Dutch. "Then there are the rest. These are as rare as a human born with powerful magic. For them, magic is an impossible thing, with their bodies not only completely lacking magic but also ill-equipped to use it. You belong to this group."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning magic for you will not only be difficult, it can be dangerous. Actual physical harm is a possibility, but given the fickleness of magic, the kind of damage inflicted will depend on the user. While most other humans will be a sieve to magic, you are a rock." The magician finished.

"That's bad." Dutch noted. "So how was I able to use this?" He questioned, holding up the vault.

"You were wielding the magic of the artifact, not using magic. The magic you have been using originated from the artifact and in the artifact it stayed, insulated from you. But, should you perform some sort of spell that affects yourself, the effects will be substantial." Alice warned him solemnly.

"But I was affected by external magic." Dutch returned.

"Yes but you didn't cast it. You must understand, this only refers to your magic inside. Your body responds to external magic as before, but should you conduct magic, you will feel it."

"That is discouraging. So what is your recommendation?"

A smile quirked Alice's lips. " Logically, I should recommend that you halt learning magic for your safety. Honestly, I recommend you continue learning. Your ill-equipped body, while acting as a barrier to physical application, should remain of little consequence if you use the artifact."

"Plus, with the kind of spellwork you have shown me, your artifact is excellently suited for it. It is essentially a source of infinite power, which somewhat makes up for your problems." She finished.

"And the side effects?"

"Indeed. That is the problem. We don't know. I'm literally your opposite and thus have no knowledge regarding this matter. So the pertinent question is, how does magic affect you?May I?" She asked, as the dolls returned with their strings again.

He let them spool the string around his hand, ending with a end in their hands each. At a nod to each other, all three poured magic into his hand, a bright stream of energy into the thread.

Initially, he felt nothing, even as the light slowly increased in intensity. Alice watched the display silently, waiting for a sign.

As the time passed, Dutch felt his hand heat up. Strangely, the burning throbbed, changing in a rhythm that echoed his heartbeat. It grew as the light did, slowly rising.

His discomfort grew along with it, as the heat inched into the realm of pain. Suddenly, the burning surged and Dutch cried out in pained surprise. He jerked his hand, the dolls dragged along for the ride.

With hurried moves, they tugged on their respective strands, pulling apart the coil on his hand. The strings fell free yet the burning stayed as he examined his hand.

The appendage left a afterimage as it moved, like a blur of motion. Dutch moved his hand a few more times to confirm his sight, frowning.

Alice watched the scene interestedly. "Hmm, you got a lucky one I supposed." She quipped.

Fighting the throbbing pain for now, her counterpoint hissed. "How?"

"Your particular affliction won't kill you. It will leave you in searing pain but it wont kill you at least." Alice noted.

"That's not too reassuring. Can you stop said searing pain?" Dutch growled.

"Of course. Your hand?" The magician asked. Dutch followed her instructions, letting her hands cup his. Slowly, the burning faded.

Once it was gone, Alice let go to take a sip from her cup. "As I was saying, it will hurt, but it won't kill you."

"Now the reason why you experience searing pain is the magic trying to find a way through your body. In this case, it attempts to burn its way through the rock that is you. Incredibly simplified of course, but it does explain your problem. "

She paused. "It actually does allow for some performance of magic. It will be painful but you could let magic run it's course on you, to burn its way through your body. When it is over, a path will be left in you and should you conduct the same magic again, the magic will follow that path. It will still be painful but it will be significantly easier the second time. But I must note with your condition, the time taken to complete the spell will be longer."

Dutch felt intense worry from his bond. Sending a thought of reassurance to Vale, he looked at his own hand. Marshalling his thoughts, he voiced one.

"And the sequence?"

Alice smiled. "Ah, yes. That's the next issue isn't it? I took the liberty of analyzing it. Extremely complicated and the commitment...I shall not question the motives behind it but it is quite a substantial one. I presume long thinking went into this process?"

"The outcome would have been the same either way."

"Very well then. Now this spell is an invasive one. It will be channeling through you the entire time it's being cast. Needless to say, it will hurt. But you will be happy to know that the magic burning into you will stay when the spell is complete. The effect will stay after the spell is complete."

"That's nice to know. So, would you like to take a look at the spell?" Dutch offered.

Alice smiled. "Indeed. Let's see if you have figured out the issue."

* * *

><p>With her solemn duty complete, Tenma felt aimless.<p>

There wasn't much she could do in the human village. Most of the people, guards aside, treated her with casual indifference. After all, Karasu tengu traveled the lands frequently, be it on assignment or personal matters. Just another one mattered little.

Of course, that didn't count her entourage, who tracked her every step. A gentle breeze kept her alert to them and she felt only a little apprehension regarding their presence.

'It isn't as if they could actually pose a threat.' She concluded.

A gesture caught her eye and she turned to a village guard beckoning. She complied, walking up to him, eyes questioning.

"Morris-san wants to speak with you." The guard ordered.

"Very well then." Tenma answered. She followed the guard as he led her through the crowd, authority opening up a path for the two.

They soon moved out of the street, moving along the sparser back lanes. Tenma entertained the thought of this all being a plot to assassinate her. Perhaps word got out of her identity and the human village decided that it would make a statement.

The leader in her immediately slapped it down. Her village was fine without her for now and killing her would only spark all out war. As well-armed as the human village was, the tengu village had the technological superiority of the kappa and the experience of centuries of combat on its side. It would be a slaughter.

So she decided to keep whatever questions she had to herself. They would all be answered in due time.

She continued to follow the guard as they made their way across the village. Their journey finally ended at a sprawling compound, the kind constructed for military purposes. Tenma picked up the muffled sounds of rifle fire, coming from a large structure that had quite the number of guards milling around outside.

Her presence inevitably drew their attention as she followed the guard towards a central building. Her ears recognized the creak of a trigger being pressed lightly.

Tenma kept a blank face. She had done nothing to warrant their aggression and she showed it. The stares continued as she entered the building, the tension following the lone tengu among humans.

Past yet another group of silent guards as the two entered into the main lobby, the conversation inside halting. They made their way up a flight of stairs and into a room, a door provided an impenetrable refuge from the thick tension.

Inside, Jack Morris smiled from the cluttered table he managed. The former outsider stood up as the two entered, leaving his tools on the table. Tenma noted a disassembled rifle on the table, it's mechanism unlike anything she had seen yet.

"Ah yes, the tengu appears. Wait outside, if you may. This conversation is best undiluted." He told the guard. The man nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Loyal chap, that one. Doesn't ask too many questions and I should say, a tad too concerned for my health. You don't get that around here. Or outside for that matter." Jack remarked as he offered Tenma a seat.

"Why am I here?" The tengu questioned after she sat down.

"Oh, for a variety of possibilities. My fellows would have preferred you stayed well within their line of sight or here, your choice of course. Or perhaps your compatriot, who wandered into the forest for two days now without anyone knowing where he's going. I have never seen a tengu questioned before."

"But those are all just possibilities and not any close to what you're here for.

How's that search coming along?" Jack asked.

Tenma stiffened. There was only one way the man in front of her could have known. "Is she here?" She hissed.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. She pops up in the most unique of times. Ever been trapped in the toilet with a floating head before?"

Glaring silence made him sigh and smile. "Don't look so dark. After all, we are all subject to someone somewhere. You have your lord, I have mine."

Tenma's hand twitched towards her blade."Our lord doesn't stay hidden." She growled. At least when she's conducting business, the tengu thought.

"Perhaps. But I digress. She's given me enough to know how dangerous this area of land can become and that's it. The safety of this village and her agenda are the one and the same right now, therefore I have to make sure that this place doesn't go up in flames. You are her best shot and thus, mine too." Jack finished.

"You believe a tengu in a human village can accomplish more than a human?" The tengu returned.

"There isn't a lot a man can do, not with my position. After all, I'm not sure if there are even any agents of theirs here."

"And you believe mine is better?"

"That's what she ordered. But since you are still searching, I guess I'll cut you loose. Let you return to your task." Jack answered, moving to open the door.

"My man will see you to your quarters. And I trust that you keep this encounter to yourself. After all, you don't want him to have any extra stress right now, do you?" He continued.

As the guard entered, Tenma followed him out gladly, Jack gave her one last smile. "If it's of any consolation, I'm sure your village has people like me too." He finished, before closing the door.

* * *

><p>Vale huddled in the chair, her mind clouded.<p>

She could feel Alice checking the sequence, slowly examining each part with magic. She knew that whatever the magician found, it would be fine. But to her, it was what the spell needed that upset her.

She closed her eyes and called up a memory just formed minutes before. Her hand burned as she experienced it for herself, staying still as she slowly felt the sear of the magic.

Honestly, it hurt her more to know he would accept it with no qualms whatsoever.

Her eyes drifted to the screen, where her latest project flashed. She had long resigned herself to harm coming Dutch's way. Her answer was to at least make it safer for him.

But it was disheartening to know that after all she did to keep him from harm, this stood in the way.

Just another notch in the wall of things he would do for her.

She tried to see it from his view, tried to adopt the selfless attitude he had hoping a different angle would help.

It pained her to do so, especially when she was the one at the center of all this sacrifices. She was vastly different from him, a more emotional being to his objective outlook.

The sound of entry made her turn, as Dutch stood looking around in bemusement.

'Hmm, must have fallen asleep. I guess that's what happens when one doesn't get enough rest.' He quipped.

'Everything's fine, I'll just wake up again. No worries.' He reassured, reaching for the button.

'Wait.' Vale asked, as she got off the chair. She walked up to him, her footsteps purposeful.

'What is it?' He returned, her eyes indecipherable.

The girl silently took off, magic holding her up as she cradled Dutch's head with her hands gently. Her wings spread around him, leaving her as the only thing he could see.

'It will hurt you.' She lamented.

'Only for the first time. Acceptable problems.' He stated.

The Vault Spirit smiled sadly as she closed her eyes and kissed him gently. The spirit held herself back, keeping it slow and tender , their hearts beat gently in tandem.

Time stood still for the both of them, as their minds became the only thing the other felt. His actions mirrored hers, content to follow.

Finally, they broke apart, mere inches from each other. Dutch saw an almost insane devotion in Vale's eyes, an all consuming torch of emotions.

'Whatever happens, I will always stand by you. For everything you have done and for the hardships you take. Thank you.' She whispered.

'I try my best.' He answered.

Vale formed a small smile before hugging him.

* * *

><p>Alice closed the sequence.<p>

It appeared that the man had diagnosed and fixed the problem overnight. While the error itself was simple, the fix meant that the artifact was definitely adept at creation.

Her analysis gave her much to ponder. The artifact was definitely powerful, with such an overarching power. She wondered about its origins. She has seen few that even resembled this sort of magic.

Frankly, it was far too tedious a type of magic for her taste. It required far too much effort in the framework in its creation for too simple a use. One doesn't make a house to keep a cup.

It did offer quite a bit for her though. She was definitely interested in how it work on the deep level, especially with such an owner.

Raising her finger, she weaved a spell, installing it onto the artifact. The runes lit up before disappearing into the crystal. With a nod to herself, she picked up the glove and returned to her guest.

A query along the way notified her of her guest state. Smiling to herself, she chalked it up to his last activites. After all, the artifact was a tedious one to use.

Still, she needed him among the living to conduct her work. Sending a command, she had a doll rouse him as she entered the room.

Her charge opened his eyes groggily before focusing them, his posture echoing.

He smiled embarrassed.

"Oh darn. This couch was too comfortable." He quipped.

Alice smiled at the comment. "Perhaps. I trust your rest was good?"

"Indeed. Quite the delight, actually." He returned.

The magician nodded as she returned the glove. "Your progress is excellent. I will confirm that the spell is ready to fire. When is up to your discretion."

"And if I may, I'm curious to see how the artifact would function in constant activity. I applied a spell that should analyze how your artifact work. May I challenge you to a duel for the sake of knowledge?"

Dutch nodded slowly. " The rules?"

Alice smiled. " Nothing long. A simple three hit duel."

"I can do that." He returned.

"Very well then. I'll need to prepare and I'm sure you do too. We'll meet ten minutes from now outside, if it not too short for you?"

Dutch smiled. "It would be more than enough."

Alice nodded and left the room, her dolls following. Dutch kept his smile as he stretched, working out the kinks of his sleep.

Did you hear that?' He prodded.

'Yes. Are you sure of this?' Vale questioned.

'See it as a test of the armor and our link. Better now than later.'

'...Very well then.' The spirit answered as Dutch felt her mind start to change.

'Prepare yourself.'

He gasped as he felt a rush of thoughts fill his mind. He felt his perception expand, as every single sense became sharper.

Unbalanced by the feeling, he steadied himself on the couch. Glancing at the window, he felt Vale instantly process the image from his eyes, turning a humanly narrowed view into a wide image.

He expressed surprise and wonder at what he saw and immediately, Vale happily acknowledged.

Amazed by the speed of her answer, he felt Vale answer with amusement instantly again.

'For now at least, our minds are one.' The spirit explained as a strange feeling accompanied her words.

He paused as he felt the feeling. It almost felt like he was talking to himself in her voice.

'Of course it is.' Vale continued, her words vastly slower compared to each other's thoughts.

He thought about it, examining both feelings. It really felt like he was talking to himself. Slightly awed by the intimacy and speed of the mind link, he quickly let the words in his head go, using emotions and the information she processed instead.

Accepting the change, he returned his attention to the world around him. Vale giggled softly , their dual minds improving his perception of both the outside and her.

Looking at his hands, Dutch studied his new state. Even concentrating on his hands, he could still sharply discern the floor beneath him. The barest of movement made him glance, watching a grain of dirt shake ever so slightly from his movements.

No, he concluded, the link didn't exactly widen his view. Instead, it improved his recognition, sharpening the ordinarily blurry edges of his vision and highlighting events from there.

The beginnings of a thought called forth his armor, smoothly replacing his fatigues. The speed from which it happened made him pause. The Vault had never been so fast before.

He sent off a question to Vale, aimed at the Vault. Her answer was a mental nod, telling and simple.

So this was how fast the Vault responded to it's spirit. He wondered if he could apply that beyond their link and decrease the time taken to switch weapons. It would help throw his opponents off-guard , a tactic extremely valuable.

Perhaps he could test this in his battle with Alice.

A nudge made him pause, as Vale stopped his musings. She directed him to the Vault crystal, where for a split second, a layer of energy glimmered over his hand.

'A shield.' She revealed, using words to convey what emotions couldn't. 'It's not finished yet but it will be. To keep you safer.'

'I feel safer already.' He returned.

Vale giggled again as Dutch set off, moving outside. Alice already waited outside, shanghai by her side.

"Interesting choice. People here don't usually bother with armor."

"We aren't the people here." Dutch answered, his link with Vale helping to fill their words with the proper terms, their voices bound together in their heads.

Alice paused as she registered the words. She was less bothered by the words than the sentence. Dutch's voice now carried a magical inflection, an accompanying tone that almost all magical beings had. Distinctive, it was just another way of determining the being, especially if the being had a human form.

And she remembered have a rather interesting conversation with that same tone before.

It seemed that spirit and master were closer than she had deducted.

Still, it mattered not. This fight was for the sake of knowledge and this was knowledge that she had no use for.

What she needed would come soon enough.

"As I said before, it will be a standard three hit duel. No real limitations but I do request that you mind the house. It takes time to repair damage." Alice said.

Her opponent nodded. "No guarantees. But we'll try my best."

"Very well then."

_War Sign "Little Legion"_

Alice's first salvo was materialized in a formation of dolls that charged forward. Armed with a wide variety of melee weapons, the deceptively deadly force started closing the distance.

Dutch phased in his carbine and fired. Each pull of the trigger meant a doll down and he stepped back slowly, calmly taking out targets.

His opponent gestured, spreading out the formation even as she mustered more dolls. Practiced movements organized the newcomers, commands sent via threads.

Dutch took the change in stride, continuing to keep up his fire. Dolls formed a messy path towards him, ignoring the losses they took.

The dwindling few quickly got within hacking range and attacked. Switching to his knife and pistol, Dutch drew help from Vale's mind as she kept track of the multiple targets.

An alert made him stop mid-swing as a small spear stabbed where his arm would have been. He punched the offending doll away as Vale directed him to block a sword swing with the slide of his pistol.

The remaining dolls continued their attack, swarming him. Even as he took out a swinging doll with a few shots, Dutch kept the link busy. Information was constantly taken in, processed and instantly sent out again as Vale constantly kept track of the dolls even out of his perception.

A mental call of danger made him jump into a roll as a barrage of Danmaku shots filled the air. Alice redirected her dolls to track him, the constructs arrayed in an archaic firing line.

The ground kicked up around Dutch as he followed his roll into another jump. Standing from that, he called out a flash bang and threw that before returning to deal with the remaining swarming dolls.

Alice sent a phalanx of shield dolls to wall off the object, keeping it sealed off from her. She was in the midst of directing the doll battery to keep up it's fire when the device exploded.

With the light largely shielded from her, it was the sound of the blast that stunned her. But even that was diminished as she recalled her shield force, walling herself until she could attack again.

Taking his chance, Dutch phased in his grenade launcher. The dolls were still, silently awaiting an order as he aimed and fired.

The grenade sailed across the air, crossing the distance in a second. Alice barely noticed it as it smashed into the shield wall and detonated.

The explosion tore through the shields easily and sent the puppeteer flying. She landed in a heap, her appearance hardest hit by the explosion. Even then, her mind worked, still able in its stunned state to Marshall her dolls.

Almost unconsciously, she recalled her shields once more. But their numbers were diminished and scattered by the blast. Even as what's left raced to defend their controller, a trio of bolts outran them and smacked squarely on Alice's chest.

All the dolls halted as Alice gasped. Her mind focused by the pain, she gingerly got up, smiling.

"That ended faster than I expected." She quipped.

"Indeed. Although I did only shoot once. Can you count that as a single shot?"

The magician nodded as she readied her magic once more. "I can consider that."

Dutch reloaded his pistol. "Your move."

Alice ran through her spell cards. By now, she had a sense of her opponent's battle tactics and adjusted accordingly.

She needed to overwhelm him. Doing so would keep him off-balance and allow her to get her shots in.

But first, she needed time.

_Curse sign "Hourai Doll"_

The aforementioned dolls appeared and fired. Dutch rolled out of the lasers as the dolls unleashed their barrage, turning the air into a solid light show. Still, he managed to avoid all of them, Vale managing to detect the invisible gaps in the lasers.

Alice registered her accuracy with little emotion. She hadn't expected this attack to do anything and was not disappointed. Still, it did what she needed as she emptied the last of the energy in the dolls and switched to her next attack.

_War Command "Dolls of war"_

As the lasers started to fade, an army of dolls materialized and charged Dutch. Much larger this time, their master spread them out further too, a literal cloud of death rushing for a single person.

Dutch cursed. Grabbing his launcher, he fired into the mass and switched back to his carbine, taking out what he could.

Alice dispersed her dolls, widening the cloud. Apart as they were, the amount of dolls were still too great for the grenade not to miss. It smashed into an unlucky spear doll and detonated, blasting apart the formation.

Still, her measures had worked, with the majority of dolls surviving mostly at the edges of the formation. She kept them in their wide arrangement, still sending them forward.

Her opponent still kept up his fire, methodically shooting down doll after doll. When his weapon clicked on empty, he switched his pistol and kept up his fire.

Just like before, there were too many for him to counter as the first drove in to stab him. His left hand came up, diamond knife already phased in, stabbing the doll in its center and severing its connection.

As the construct fell away from his blade, the next few charged in, attacking together. His mind worked in overdrive with Vale, as they rapidly noted and prioritized targets. Barely keeping up with the amount of attacks coming his way, Dutch stepped backwards, using space to compensate for numbers.

His pistol phased away, his knife changed hands. A slash parried, a stab blocked by the flat side of the blade. Step back, the space used to slash apart a doll.

The dolls were relentless, constantly striking. Their small size and coordination meant that Dutch defended more than he attacked, knowing that he only had two free hits.

But with more dolls coming, it was a losing battle.

He sliced a doll apart and immediately followed an alert from Vale to halt a lance charge by a trio of dolls with the flat side of his blade. Another alert drew his attention to a battle axe doll, charging in weapon raised. But with his knife occupied, he was weaponless to counter it.

Resorting to desperate measures, his other hand seized the doll. Acknowledging that he had just given the doll a barn to hit, he quickly moved his arm back, hoping to throw it before it could swing its axe.

Alice smiled.

_Magic Sign "Artful Sacrifice"_

The doll exploded in Dutch's hand as Alice detonated its stored magical energy. Sending him falling backwards, it also sent the rest of the dolls in the other direction, as the shockwave pushed everyone back.

Two hits left.

Dutch rolled back onto his feet. He was blown off his feet with his pride the worse off from the explosion. Still, the armor did its job, with the blast wave the only thing that really touched him.

'Should have expected that.' He thought.

'Now is not the time.' Vale admonished, tracking the formation of dolls in front of them. 'And I don't think we can keep fighting them.' She continued worriedly as they watched Alice reform her dolls, sending her spears and lances into the first wave, the rest into the second.

'I concur.' Her soulmate returned as he planned a response. Calling out his grenade launcher, he fired at the dolls, targeting the ground just ahead of them.

The blast broke the dolls formation, as they were sent flying everywhere. Alice quickly reformed the formation, wondering if her opponent was slipping. Such a miss wasn't the person she was fighting.

Still, she attacked. Sending her dolls through the rapid thinning smoke of the blast, she kept her second wave widely spaced as they follow closely behind the first, ready to counter whatever the human had planned.

On the other side of the smoke, Dutch waited, his weapon now his wrist blades. At his feet sat a pair of claymore mines, angled right at the advancing dolls.

The mines detonated like oversized shotgun pellets. Five hundred pellets of energy sprayed out from each mine, most of them finding hits.

The doll formation was shredded. The entire first wave came apart, bearing the brunt of the attack, as components of dolls rained down on the ground. The second seemed no better, a massive hole was torn through the army. The remaining survivors came mostly from either the rear or the fringes of the column and even those were worse for wear.

Alice's mind raced as she adjusted for this sudden change. The majority of her army was in pieces and what was left was too little to present a real threat. Not wanting to pull back and give her opponent time, she sent off her remaining dolls to continue the attack. Meanwhile, the magician ran through her arsenal.

With her two large force spell cards gone, the magician needed some sort of way to distract him. Her dolls wouldn't last long and reinforcing them would take longer. Knowing that whatever she chose, she had to throw all her cards, Alice decided on a plan of rapid victory.

While she still had dolls to distract him, she would defeat him quickly.

The puppeteer threw out a doll and sent it flying to the fight. She continued to command the other dolls to occupy Dutch, as their numbers started to dwindle.

She commanded the lone individual doll to fly into the fight, mixing itself among the other dolls. As Dutch ducked to avoid a sword, the doll broke from the group and flew around, halting behind him. Knowing that she needed his full attention elsewhere, Alice sent every remaining doll attacking him to rush him, She had pretty much placed all of her cards on the table with that.

Dutch responded just like before, as he stepped back to spread out the dolls The large clump of dolls continued its attacks, as Vale helped him track and prioritize the attacks. Their opponent had sent a doll to join the attacking force and the spirit kept out for any particularly strange movement that would indicate her plans.

Once Alice decided that Dutch had been pushed back far enough, she showed her hand.

_Focus Power"Trip Wire"_

The laser shot out from her towards Dutch. To no one's surprise, Dutch rolled out of the way, quickly getting back on his feet to meet her dolls. But the doll followed his every move, constantly keeping itself exactly behind him, the laser turning to meet him as it homed in towards the doll behind him.

Of course, unknown to the construct behind him, Dutch moved again to avoid the laser. Again it followed, as the guidance doll latched on to him for maximum accuracy.

Both he and Vale felt the doll catch on. Their conclusion of the doll's purpose immediate, Vale's mind raced to come up with a way to tear it off but her soulmate had already resigned himself to it, his mind had already begun working on a counterattack.

The laser struck with a flash. His armor doing its job again, what little damage got through was registered by a slight clenching of his jaw.

1 hit left.

As the light of the hit faded, he was already moving. He threw a flash bang at Alice, at the same time calling out his grenade launcher. Dutch knew that he had a small window before Alice got her remaining dolls to charge him again, so he aimed and fired

Alice divided her shield dolls, sending one to deflect the flash bang with the rest to deal with the grenade, moving to keep the dolls between her and him. A sacrificial doll charged forward, charging to intercept the explosive.

The dual detonation left a wall of smoke between the two and slightly stunned Alice, far away as she was. He took his chance to pull out his Black Arrow, carrying the heavy rifle standing up. Remembering her last position, he aimed, braced and fired.

Even with the armor, the recoil still hurt, although it was manageable for him to work the bolt, aim and fire again, the second shot flying before the first casing even landed.

Alice had almost shook herself back to normality when the first projectile blew apart the shield doll group sent to block the grenade. She was fully aware when the second flashed out of the smoke and smashed into her.

Just like before, the puppeteer was sent flying. The pain of the hit coursing through her, it was a testament to her Youkai constitution that she was able to get up immediately after that, her clothing blackened and in shreds from the hit.

"You really like using your explosives."

Dutch shrugged. "It's all we got. Unless you have some sort of way to give me magic."

Alice smiled painfully at the statement before pulling out her last few spell cards. With what was left, she needed to win.

Taking her still waiting dolls on the battlefield, the magician sent them to attack Dutch once more, knowing that for both of them, this would be their last salvo.

Dutch responded with his carbine, rapidly blasting the dolls apart. Alice took the chance to pull out a card, taking her complaining body in stride.

_Spy Sign "Seeker Dolls"_

A group of dolls spawned and flew up. Their compatriots, battling the human, were already down to their last legs as the dolls soared over the fight.

Alice clenched her jaw as she concentrated on the fight. She just needed to hold him off just a little longer before the seeker dolls could get into position. Taking precise control of each doll, she was able to make them last a bit longer than their earlier comrades, just enough for the dolls to get into position.

As the pieces of the last dolls rained on the ground, the seeker dolls fired. Each unleashed a laser into the ground, all firing in varying directions to create a net of lasers around Dutch.

The human cursed as he scanned around him. He couldn't find any way out, even with Vale carefully analyzing each laser. Turning back to his opponent, he raised his hand, wrist blades forming. The vault crystal was already turning red as he aimed.

Alice was just as active, as she summoned a doll. This was her last shot, a do or die. If she missed, she was effectively defenseless.

Her spell card already in her hand, she saw the actions of her opponent. The magician allowed herself a quick quirking of her lips. Whatever the result, the data from this fight would be very interesting.

_Curse Sign"Shanghai Doll"_

They fired.


	40. Coming to a head

And that's the next chapter. It was a interesting one. It was originally to act as a set up for the fight and then i managed to in the sidelines accidentally set up for another fight in the process.

Good news though is that I'm managed to fire the old writing engine again. The bad news is that I'm currently engrossed in another fandom. But I promised tp carry this until the end and i will. I still want to do this.

Thanks goes to **Ban3** for the work as usual.

* * *

><p>Tenma gripped her sword.<p>

Morris's words left much to sift through, and even more to decide.

She should have seen this coming. Yukari was always knowledgeable about the ongoings of Gensokyo, even to the most recent of events. And while her gaps could fulfill even the most obscure of requests, it would have been easier to simply have someone reporting to her.

The Tengu noted that such a measure would have taken time to instill. Time that humans had little of. Not so much for Youkai.

_I'm sure your village has people like me too._

Those words rankled her. She knew that the Sage probably did have someone like Morris hovering around in the Tengu village. No one in Gensokyo believed that the Youkai Sage would keep her reach to herself.

But the hint gleaned from Morris bit into her more than it should have. Every time she thought about it, it raised her hackles, clenched her hands.

On her being observed, Tenma had no issues. It was only natural that Yukari would keep track of her chess pieces. No leader worth her weight in salt would not do so.

No, Tenma realized, it wasn't the revelation that tore into her. It was what underlay it. To reveal one of her pieces meant that Yukari was taking a more direct hand in the proceedings.

The notion that she had graduated from autonomous chess piece to a controlled one was a bitter one. Like the doubts that Dutch once raised against her fighting abilities, it was a stab at her pride and Tengu were never accepting of those.

Riding along with that was an unsettling question. If Yukari had a direct hand here, how about the Tengu village? How many times had the Sage worked those hands there?

Just how many times were her decisions guided by the Sage?

No, she told herself. Second guessing her choices with such an ambiguous question would only lead to mistakes. She knew that the paths she had chosen were made with her best judgement and information. Until something else appeared to tell her otherwise, she would stand by her choices.

Doubts quelled, the Tengu returned to more pressing matters. It was clear from Morris that Yukari expected her to pull her own weight against their mysterious opponents.

On paper, it was a good idea. Tenma, even hidden behind her current alias, was one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo. Her wind scouting skills, briefly tested against the village guards, was one of the best even before her ascension a thousand years before.

And her skills with the blade were no less. The tengu suspected if she so wanted, she could rise to the very top of the youkai arena easily.

But she knew that Dutch would object to such arrangements. The man saw only her role in Gensokyo and her importance. In that aspect, he was no different from the palace guards. He would rather do all the work than involve her.

But he wasn't here. Tenma knew that the Sage had given him a much darker role to play, one more crucial and dangerous.

A small part of her knew that she was rankled. Such important proceedings and she was simply a side character. But the tengu knew that this was simply a matter of chance.

Just like her meeting with him. All because he found that crystal.

She had come to terms with her attraction to him. Be it chance or fate, the youkai lord was drawn to the human in an intimate way. She wanted to be by his side, at the very least. Even now, she worried about him.

It was a worry that would destroy her office but she didn't care. For now, she wasn't Tenma, leader of the Tengus, she was Tenma and Teri.

A hint of déjà vu arose with that thought. She had done this once before. Not quite the same now though, with all these different agendas around.

In her musing, Tenma kept alert of her surroundings. A disturbance made her stop as a human girl, haphazardly carrying a cargo of books and racing with the energy of the young , brushed past her. The contact was enough to sent the girl stumbling, her books tumbling to the ground in a mess.

Tenma immediately bent to pick up the books.

"T-thank you!" The bespectacled girl gushed as she followed to grab the books.

"It's no problem." The tengu answered, stacking the books. The cover of the topmost book made her pause.

"This book..."

The girl peeked at the stack. "Ah! That book is a guide for dealing with various youkai, written in..."

"Old Tengu..." Tenma cut in. All the examples of old tengu write that she knew of were kept well under lock and key by the Yamabushi. She also knew that the Yamabushi would guard those samples with ferocity that rivaled the Hakurou.

The girl perked up. " You know old tengu? How old are you?" She inquired eagerly.

"Old enough." Was Tenma's answer as she examined the book. She remembered from ages past this particular book but she didn't know of any actual surviving examples.

Just how did this human girl come across this book?

"Where did you get this?"

The girl smiled. "I can't really give away my sources. But I can say this came from old hell."

A surviving copy from the depths of the former hell? Tenma didn't know if the Yamas, with all their deathly gazes and black-white notions, would keep such a copy or if it was the Oni, with their honest dispositions and their rambunctious parties. Both were viable candidates and both had the means and the age to have acquired such a book.

"Can you help me translate this? I can read this but some of the terms elude me. " The girl inquired.

"Of course." As a tengu, Tenma knew well the value of knowledge. And to come across lost knowledge was an opportunity to be seized.

The rapid answer made the girl pause. "I don't suppose you wish to buy this?"

"That I do. This particular book was thought lost. Finding it is incredible."

"I see...I can sell this to you. But I do so want to read this before I release this to your care. If you're willing.." The girl mused.

"That can be done." Tenma answered.

"That's great. I'm Kosuzu Motoori!" The girl introduced joyfully.

"Teri. Just Teri." Tenma returned.

* * *

><p>Forest of Magic<p>

Dutch wondered about the difference between him and his soul mate as he waited on Alice's couch.

Much was revealed during the time since she confessed to him. Their viewpoints, for one.

He saw things rather objectively. Time could heal away pain. But time couldn't fix the problems he could. Some might call it selfless but he simply saw it as a process. Fix the problems, rest, do the next task. Rinse and repeat.

But Vale was very different. Contrary to him, the spirit saw things more personally. Problems were dangerous and the barest threat of one worried her. Where he might shrug off injury, she would get hurt by the pain.

And her attitude to him was obsessive, to say the least. It felt like she needed to feel him, to feel his constant presence there for her to be at ease. While he experienced the same to some degree, the almost insane glint in her eyes earlier told her that the spirit saw things very differently.

She needed him much more than he needed her. As the Vault's master and her reason for existing, he could see why she was protective of him. He should be lucky that her protectiveness only led her to developing his armor. Who knew just how far she could go to keep him safe.

An errant thought pointed out that a prisoner was safe in his cell.

At least this happened within the confines of his own mind. She gave him his privacy at least.

'We lost.' Her lament broke his thought.

To that he smiled.'In a fight where we didn't die. So no real loss. Take what we learned from it and move on."

Vale considered the statement. "I guess you're right.' She decided. "Still, we lost.'

'I would have been worried if I kept winning.' He answered.

The spirit sighed in answer and retreated back to her mind, though she kept their bond open to let their essences mingle.

Any thought about the action was interrupted, as Alice entered the room. The magician was clad in a new set of clothes, carbon copies of the destroyed participants of the fight. A set of runes hovered in front of her, following her movement as she sat opposite him,

"Hmm. Your artifact functions not too differently from the Sage. Portals open to allow passage between reality and the realm of the artifact. A rather common form of magic transference." She noted, reading off the array of runes. The magician had little to show from her earlier fight, other than the slight tremble of punished muscles

"Really now? It definitely doesn't feel like a portal." Dutch answered, watching her examine the runes.

"That is simply aesthetics. Similar magic may look entirely different. It really depends on the maker of the artifact. If this artifact was copied by someone else, it would still be different due to the different makers." Alice explained.

"It makes identification easier too. You can track who made what simply by looking at the maker's magic signature." She continued. "Even where the maker was from."

Then the magician paused. "I must say, I have never come across a lunarian artifact before. Where did you find this?"

"In a cave."

"Hmm. Curious that an artifact made by a race of such caliber and isolation could end up in such a place." Alice murmured.

Dutch winced. "It was guarded."

"Still, such a location. What history does it bring?" She wondered.

"Bad." He answered with finality.

Alice nodded. "Very well. I will probe no further." She acknowledged, palming the runes away. "My job here is done. Your spellwork is complete. All you will need to do is to cast it."

The magician glanced out the window, where the sun started its descent westward. "I recommend doing it somewhere safe. You will not be able to defend yourself during the process of casting it or for some time after."

"I have a guide to help me. One that I trust." He returned.

"I see. I don't think I am the first to tell you that the forest gets more dangerous at night but know this. Lately, there have been magic traces in the forest that I have never come across before. I can't begin to fathom what has made these traces but I can say that these traces are distantly similar to your artifact in origin." Alice described.

"Something from the moon?" Dutch prodded.

His counterpart nodded."Not only that, the traces appear to have a pattern. They appear close to the roads and other points of interests. Whatever, they are, they're looking for something." She finished, leaving the unspoken part hanging.

"I will keep that in mind." He answered, rising from his seat.

Alice sent Shanghai off to unlock her front door as she rose too. "I have one last request. I would like to see the result of the spell. I have never seen a spell like this before."

Dutch paused. "I can't give you an answer. Things are too.. hectic right now for the future to be set easily."

She nodded. "Very well. I will keep my hopes up nevertheless. And if you do return, I may be able to make it worth your while. The data from your artifact interests me greatly. Something may come out of it."

"If I return." He answered.

"If you return." Alice echoed.

* * *

><p>Dutch should be leaving soon, Kaimi wondered, as she waited within the trees outside the puppeteer's house in the dying light.<p>

"Are you sure about this...person?" A voice from thin air questioned her.

Kaimi smiled coyly. "Oh my. You have never been this...reserved before." She tittered.

The leaves above her rustled in seeming answer. "I have always been like this." The voice grumbled. "It's just...this person. Things from the moon have been hunting in the forest, looking for something. He might be it."

"Or it could be something else."

"And what are the chances of that?" The voice retorted. "And he's...strange." It murmured. "Like he is but he's not."

"Oh? How so?" Kaimi questioned.

"From a glance, he's human. But if you concentrate, there's something about him...like a part of him isn't. And that part is just like those things..." The voice trailed.

The Snail princess smiled reassuringly. "If danger happens, I can take care of myself. But I'm sure that violence won't come from him. More likely towards him."

"And if you get caught in that?"

"I walked this world ever since my entry. I expect to continue after today." Kaimi finished. "There are still people to meet."

"And people to harass..." The voice added in.

"Oh dear, is that jealousy I hear? I didn't know you had such interests."

"Har Har. You're not going to get me that easily. Just stay safe." The voice finished.

"Of course. I will return to you." Kaimi answered sultrily.

The voice spluttered before disappearing.

The snail princess giggled as she returned to watching Alice's cottage. The figure of a living man made her smile.

She mentally plotted her course, heading to reach him just at the tree line. He seemed deep in thought, she noted, as he headed on the path into the trees.

She was very curious of the person that would inspire such duty in him. The man appeared inwardly intelligent, her experience told her, the kind that blossomed in a group. Such people were quiet, islands of silence in a sea of conversation. They hovered noiselessly, simply listening, always taking in. And when they spoke, their words had meaning, distilled from the sea of words.

Kaimi liked that kind of people. They tended to be less prejudiced and were always excellent conversation partners.

They also made excellent partners most of the time, Kaimi noted. Their introspective view usually made them loyal people, a trait she found very attractive.

It was a pity that this man was already taken.

Kaimi had no intention to force her way in. Stealing hearts was abhorrent to her and only left scorched earth. She preferred honey to vinegar.

That didn't mean that she couldn't poke the hornet nest. In fact, she relished it. It was alway enjoyable to re-ignite the fire between partners. The sudden possessive glint, the defensive posturing and the combative tone were all sweet tidbits to her.

A wandering thought caught her mind. That person might just be the Tengu, she decided. It wouldn't make sense with the magician but she had seen those same exact actions from the Tengu.

Kaimi was well aware of the sensitivities between humans and Youkai. It was just that she didn't care.

By that point, she had reached behind him. Trailing him, the snail princess kept silent and let him feel her presence.

At least, for now she could bask in the company of someone worthwhile.

* * *

><p>Just like before, Dutch felt the presence of Kaimi behind him a few minutes into his walk.<p>

He never knew when the snail princess inserted herself behind him. She had the sort of presence that eased her way in. You never knew when she appeared, she was just there.

"The light is almost gone." He noted, turning to the snail princess. A small pouch was bounced gently at her waist, a nondescript bag of unknown purpose.

Kaimi nodded. "Be assured, they will not touch us. But watch your vision. The night blindness will come soon.

Experience made Dutch decide that the affliction wasn't something his enhancement could handle."I assume this is magical?"

"How perceptive. Wait for the night Sparrow's song. It will herald the way for us."

"To the establishment you speak of?"

"Yes. It is a very good lure."

As the final hints of sun disappeared behind the mountains, the sounds of the night rose. Crickets started their symphonic battles while fireflies rose and danced in starry swarms, the first of many occupants of the night.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Dutch saw that Kaimi's hat gave off a luminescent glow, enough that even normal human eyes could have tracked her.

The snail princess noticed his attention and smiled. "It's not my power." She answered preemptively. "Certain substances within the forest give off this light. I simply used what I could find."

"That's an interesting bit of resourcefulness. What else can be used from this forest?"

Kaimi giggled at the compliment. "Oh there are many. The mushrooms closer to the human village tend to be edible or even medicinal. I know of one that can actually boost the magical powers of whoever consumes it."

Then her smile turned dark. "But of course, there is peril."

"There is a mushroom deep within in the forest. It gives off a smell that you will find...painfully appetizing. When you bite it, it will give off the taste of the food you desire the most at the moment. It even has the texture of the food." She described.

Dutch thought about it. "That sounds nice."

"But it is dangerous." She warned. "The illusion hides the spores of an addiction. You will find yourself wanting to go back, to taste that mushroom once more. In time, you will want nothing more than that mushroom. You will risk life and limb to get it, your life forfeit for just one more bite."

Dutch winced. "...I see. Any reason why this thing exists?"

"The deep forest is a place few willingly enter. It has found ways to entice the few that do."

Dutch paused. "Why would anyone enter it?"

"The forest of magic is a strange place. Its inhabitants are stranger still. Its many plants and mushrooms offer a wide variety of powers and afflictions. Used correctly, it can gift a human power beyond their limits. Even the ones at the edge of the forest are more nutritionally potent than the ones you find elsewhere. Deeper in, their afflictions are more...varied. The spores of some are enough to drive you into hallucinations, doomed to die a wandering death."

Dutch's mind flashed to the corpse of the father those few days ago. "And the creatures that live here?"

Kaimi tut-tutted. "Some tact please. I do live here too." She scolded grinning.

He smiled apologetically. "My mistake. I will be more specific next time."

She nodded in acceptance. "The forest will feast on those ensnared in it."

"Even you?"

"If I were to be trapped by one, perhaps. The forest is not partial to what it ensnares. But a princess knows." Kaimi finished, giving him a knowing wink.

"I see." Dutch chuckled.

'I don't know about her.' Vale mumbled in his head.

'What?' He returned, feeling frustration from her.

'...It's like she's playing. She's not serious about it and yet...' The spirit continued.

'I really can't catch what you are saying.'

All he got was a sigh from her before she disappeared back into her own mind.

* * *

><p>"Do you think they will be there?" Renko asked as the two headed back to the tavern.<p>

Maribel smiled. "No."

"Wow, so curt..."

The blonde sighed. "But you can see it too can't you?" She said."Those two are in something important. Something that he would know."

"Yea. That stupid crystal." Her friend growled.

"No." Maribel shook her head. "Something else. Something...different."

"Like?"

"I don't know. And I don't think it relates to the moon."

Renko hissed. "Yukari?"

"If not, she would know about it at the very least. She just isn't telling us."Maribel said.

"Dammit!" Her friend clenched her hands. "Why is no one telling us anything!"

Maribel said nothing, her mouth a thin line.

* * *

><p>"So what is this establishment like?" Dutch asked as the two continued down the path. Just like Kaimi had warned, night blindness had gripped his eyes, making it difficult to see much, even with the light of the moon and the fireflies. Those two broke through the darkness but lit little else.<p>

At best, he could only follow the road. At least that stayed somewhat visible.

Kaimi smiled. "It's an eatery unlike anything in this world. The owner has a rather interesting way of bringing in the customers and her food is quite well done."

"I see. What does she offer?"

She grimaced. "She serves lamprey eels, as her main course. Although her rice and vegetables are quite delectable."

The expression did not go unnoticed. "I presume that you dislike flesh?" Dutch questioned.

Kaimi smiled. "I am a snail princess. Plants are in my nature. But even then, the idea that something died to feed me is rather...sickening."

That's a rather strong word to use, Dutch noted. Perhaps he should think well about his order.

"But I will not judge. We are wholly different people and to find fault where there are only trivial differences is foolish." She finished.

"Very well." He answered, glancing around him. This night blindness was making him rather uneasy. It was easy to imagine danger when you didn't know what was there.

And he had the experience to assume danger behind every corner. And with the sort of creatures that inhabited this forest, the feeling at the back of his neck wasn't leaving any time soon.

Who knew, this could be the forest weighing down on him.

'It is not the forest.' Vale whispered.

He said nothing, waiting pointedly for her to continue.

'This blindness is coming from elsewhere. The feeling of the magic afflicting you is different from the ambient forest magic.' She explained.

'Something hunting us?'

'Could be...' Vale answered fearfully as she considered the thought.

Dutch paused their mental exchange as he and Kaimi came to a crossroad. Rather strangely, one particular road seemed brighter than the other.

Kaimi smiled as she watched the human." You see it, don't you?"

"Yes. How?"

"That is the Night Sparrow's song. It will guide the way for us." She said, starting down the road.

* * *

><p>"That should be it." Tenma announced as she put down the book and turned to one of the most amusing expressions she has seen in her life.<p>

Kosuzu beamed at her with awestruck eyes. "That was incredible!" She exclaimed.

It made the Tengu chuckle. Her own experience back home was a lot more...reserved, she decided. Amongst their military prowess, Tengu were also well known for their respect for knowledge. Even Hakurou Tengu on a mission would make an effort to recover and preserve any knowledge they had found.

And that also meant that emotions tended to be sober. The Yamabushi Tengu were downright paranoid about the integrity of the knowledge that they kept. Records were constantly checked and rechecked and any new information was carefully noted down. Ten pages of a record may swell to a hundred or even a thousand.

Such outbursts were unheard of in the archives of the Yamabushi tengu. Emotions were brushed aside in the course of their precise work, lest they let themselves taint the records.

It was probably why the Yamabushi were one of the most fervent patrons of the festivals.

"It was nothing. Almost all of it was simply knowledge I remembered." Tenma answered as she brushed aside a lock of silver.

"Still, you remembered so much! I wished I had that sort of memory!" Kosuzu gushed.

Those words made Tenma smile again, albeit slowly. "You shouldn't. Some things are best forgotten." She murmured quietly.

"Like embarrassing mistakes?"

At least the human had the optimism of the young, the Tengu decided. It was best to preserve such fleeting ideals. "Like those." She finished before sounding off a number.

It made Kosuzu start. "Is that how much you are willing to pay?" She asked surprised.

"For the book itself as well as for my own offer."

The human girl blinked. "For?"

"A service, to notify me if you were to ever find more of such knowledge. We value our knowledge well and any chance of recovering lost knowledge must be taken." Tenma informed.

"Wow...so much." Kosuzu whispered.

Perhaps to the human girl it was but Tenma had no qualms with the amount. She was if nothing else practical and knew most of the money would have returned to the village coffers by the end of her adventure. Best to shed it on something worthwhile.

"Okay. But how will I tell you?"

The Tengu raised her hand. In it was a single black feather, which turned into a crow. The bird stared into Kosuzu and cawed before changing back into a feather.

"Use it when you find something that might interest me. I will find you." Tenma instructed.

"Whoa..." The human said, taking the feather.

* * *

><p>The light was returning to normal, Dutch noted, as the pair continued down the road. Already, the road and forest were being lit up by the moon, a stark difference from before. But there was something else too.<p>

Dutch could hear a barely discernible voice singing. It rang in his ears, a soft whisper that never changed. More important, the contents of the song were...impossible.

Instinctively, he could tell that it wasn't human. It never kept the kind of rhythm that he knew of outside music. The song had words, yet the words were perplexing, changing in ways that he couldn't comprehend.

Even as he strained to understand, Kaimi noticed it.

"You can hear it can't you? That is the essence of the night sparrow song." She said.

"I...can't understand it."

"You shouldn't. Humans and Youkai are different. It would be worrying if you could." The snail princess added. "Though if you can actually hear the songs, we should be close."

And indeed she was right, as the pair saw the orange of artificial light in the distance.

"Seems like a rather strange place to set up a eatery." Dutch quipped.

"Oh the feral Youkai know to stay far from the establishment. The song helps keeps them away. It is safe here."

"Hmm."

The pair soon found the cause of the light, as a row of lanterns lit the way for them. Compared to the clear hue of the moon, the light felt homely and safe, bathing the path and the forest itself with orange.

"Oh yes, we are here now. Can you hear it?" Kaimi inquired as they proceeded down the path.

Dutch paused. "I...can't. It's gone."

"Excellent. That means that we are in the right place."

The two followed the lanterns to a clearing where along the side, a roadside stall had been set up. From inside, the sound of charcoal being moved emitted from the stall, the view of the counter blocked by drapes of paper.

"I'm surprised. You don't seem like the sort of person who would choose such informal settings." Dutch decided.

Said person giggled. "Was I ever formal?" She asked coyly.

A few thoughts made him smile. "Not that I remember." He admitted.

The snail princess giggled once more before they entered the stall.

Inside, the owner of the stall perked up from her cutting board.. "Welcome!" She exclaimed before halting at the sight of one of the customers.

"Good evening." Kaimi greeted, moving to sit on a chair. She glanced around. "I see we are the first of the night."

The owner stayed silent as her eyes shifted from Kaimi and Dutch. Then she sighed. "You again."

"Yes me." The snail princess laughed.

Dutch stayed silent as he took a seat. The owner looked friendly enough, as a pair of grey eyes regarded his partner with resignation, though the feathery ears that jutted out from her short dark pink hair made it clear she wasn't human.

"Dutch, I introduce Mystia Lorelei, night sparrow owner of this delightful stall. She's quite the cook."

The human nodded in greeting as Mystia returned it.

"So what will it be?" Said night sparrow asked, as she pushed back the sleeves of her brown yukata.

Dutch paused."What would you recommend?"

"A set of lamprey, rice and fresh greens. It's the most well received among your kind."

"Very well."

"And I will have rice, pickled and fresh greens. And hot water, if you are willing." Kaimi drawled.

Mystia nodded as she got to work, placing a few skewers over the hot coals leaving those to cook as she busied herself with the rest of the orders.

"What else do you serve here?" Dutch questioned.

"Mushrooms and sake completes my menu. Lamprey is my best seller and I don't see any need to change it. After all, why change what is successful?"

"We wouldn't want it too complicated after all." Kaimi added, making Mystia grit her teeth.

The night sparrow continued her work, taking out plates of clear rice and glistening vegetables. She set the food in front of the duo before coating the contents of the skewers with sauce and flipping them.

Reaching under the counter, she pulled out a kettle and set it on the table. It was soon joined by three bowls and a teaspoon.

"Work your magic."

Kaimi nodded as she reached for the small pouch at her waist. From inside, she pulled out a cloth bag and a whisk.

Dutch kept his curiosity silent, watching Kaimi stick the teaspoon into the bag and scoop out a mound of green powder into a bowl. She then added water from the kettle and stirred the contents of the cup with her whisk.

Smiling , the snail princess offered the bowl of green liquid to him. Dutch accepted the cup and sipped it, both Kaimi and Mystia watching him

The drink had a gentle sweet taste, though the distinctive flavor made it clear what it was. He set the bowl on the table.

"I thought tea had a more intricate ceremony to it?" He asked.

Kaimi giggled. "I could do so. But this isn't the place or the company to do so with."

"I see." He nodded before sipping again.

Kaimi smiled as she spooned more powder into the other bowls. "This particular batch was grown in the shade of the inner forest. I ground it with some stevia for added sweetness." She explained.

The distant cry of something in the forest made Dutch pause.

"I think that's the sound of tea purists crying out in pain." He quipped.

Both Youkai laughed at the statement. Mystia accepted a bowl from Kaimi before facing Dutch. "You have a good sense of humor. That's nice. I don't get that much from my usual group."

The human shrugged. "I'm an outsider."

"That explains a lot." Mystia said before placing a plate of deep green vegetables on the table.

Kaimi immediately took one with her chopstick and ate it. "Mmm..." She hummed. "Less salty this time. You did take my advice about the pickle."

Mystia sighed. "As much as you irritate me, your taste is right. So yes, I did take your advice."

"Now if you could only follow my advice about your patrons safety..."

Dutch swore he saw a vein twitch on Mystia forehead.

"I...cannot guarantee the safety of the customers here. Not with the kind of people they are." She muttered slowly.

Kaimi smiled. "Oh but of course. I was referring to the ambient sound..."

" Not another word." Mystia hissed.

The snail princess paused and giggled. "But of course. A secret between friends."

Her only answer was a glare.

Dutch watched the two silently, preferring to dig into his meal. The rice and vegetables were excellent for the sort of place that served it.

The two Youkai both looked away from each other, letting the mood settle. Mystia flipped the skewers and scanned them with her trained eye before nodding to herself and taking them off the fire and onto a plate.

Kaimi leisurely picked at her meal, eating her food in an alternating pattern. Fresh greens, then pickled, then fresh greens again. Always accompanied by a pinch of rice.

Dutch held up the skewer and examined it. The lamprey pieces were meaty and glistened in the light.

A bite made him pause. "This is really good." He complimented. "Perfectly cooked.

Mystia nodded in thanks. "Thank you. I had time to practice.."

"Decades even." Kaimi quipped.

The night sparrow sighed.

* * *

><p>Even the human village has it's own surprises, Tenma decided, as she made her way back to the tavern.<p>

Her hand cradled the book, wrapped in cloth. She could already see Eri's amused face in her mind's eye, the Hakurou Tengu's wolf ears flicking in mirth.

"Even on leave, you do something for the village." She could definitely imagine the words too.

But it would be an unworthy Tengu who didn't preserve knowledge. Especially if it was someone like Tenma.

Her train of thought changed. She needed to deliver the book as soon as possible. Wrapped in cloth among the tools of an adventurer would be a poor treatment for an object of such age.

And she doubted anyone in the human village would accept such a job. If she could even trust them.

And that meant she had to do it herself. Tenma was willing to bet the moment she stepped into the palace, Eri would have her kicked out. Less than a week on break and already back would definitely anger her subordinate.

Perhaps somewhere closer to the village would be better. The Youkai market had its fair share of no questions asked delivery men.

Of course that meant breaking away from Dutch. While she knew he would have no issue with that, Yukari's words made it very clear that he would need all the help he could get.

And then there were her own feelings regarding that matter.

Her mind paused as she came up to the tavern. She entered it, giving the tavern keep a nod of greeting before proceeding in. Past the laughing merchants and travellers and into the private rooms she strode.

Inside the room, Renko and Maribel both pored over books. The pair looked up as the Tengu entered, Renko frowning.

"Where's Dutch?" She demanded.

Tenma shook her head. "We went our separate ways." She answered.

The answer changed little of Renko's expression as she kept frowning at the Tengu.

"What are the two of you doing?"

The question made Tenma look up. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! I know the two of you are involved in something dangerous!" The brunette snapped.

"It's...better if you don't know." Tenma returned.

"Why? Why is it better for us if we just stay silent and do nothing?"

Tenma opened her mouth and stopped. There were many reasons for her to use, like how these two had no experience in this sort of danger or even their skill level.

No, she decided, it was best to go to the source of the problem.

"It is not mine to say." The Tengu answered.

"Then whose!" Renko shouted.

The silence hung in the air.

"Yukari." Tenma spoke.

"Then why doesn't she say anything?" Renko growled.

"It's her choice."

Maribel watched the exchange silently, clearly thinking hard. When Renko sank, simmering, she finally spoke up.

"We met in the Tengu village didn't we?"

Tenma paused. "Perhaps. In passing?" She asked, knowing full well where she had met these two. It was strange though, even with those short moments, knowing that the human had remembered her was an unsettling one.

"No...I am sure that we met for something else. Something 'him' related." The blonde murmured, frowning in concentration.

"Many Tengu attend to Lord Tenma. You may have seen me there." The Tengu put forth. She was getting good at referring to herself in third person, Tenma noted.

Maribel on the other hand seized on the implication of the lie.

"So you are someone close to Lord Tenma?" She asked darkly. Too late did Tenma remember the conversation from two days back and her warning. But she had no way to dodge the subject now.

"How did you and Dutch meet again?"

Renko halted her simmering thoughts, her mind now on a different target. "Mary?" She questioned.

Tenma could feel the majority opinion on the room rapidly turning sour. Maribel's hostile thoughts were coming to a head and it would sweep her friend along. For all her prowess, the notion of fighting these two humans would draw attention at a time when they needed none.

"You see Renko, it's strange that just days after Dutch completed a mission from the Tengu leader, there's a Tengu traveling by his side. You would think that after such a mission, the Tengu would keep their distance." Maribel hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would they involve a human?"

The brunette turned to the Tengu, tense in body and voice. "So, what will it be?"

For a second, Tenma contemplated revealing her identity. It could immediately end this dangerous turn of events, with both humans looking ready to pounce.

Caution however, won over her idea. The lower the number of people who knew who she was, the easier for her to hide.

It wasn't as if doing so would definitely calm the women in front of her. Her hand inched towards her katana, her Tengu instincts telling her to prepare for a fight. The air started to pick up, moving to her command.

A small part of her whispered that Dutch wouldn't have done what she had. The human would have stayed still, appearing passive until the very last moment.

But he wasn't a Youkai and Tenma wasn't the sort of person to quietly take the threat of violence.

The movement caught both of the humans' attention. Renko's clock hand sword materialized in her hand, her eyes glaring.

"So?" She asked again.

"I already said. I don't know. He went into the forest." Tenma answered.

"How convenient. He went into the forest, a place where the feral Youkai live. If he doesn't come back, they probably killed him. It is a dangerous place after all." Maribel growled, trembling fiercely.

Her eyes started to flicker, cycling through different shades of purple. Energy started to collect at her hands, an unearthly violet glimmer around her fingers.

"Where is he?" The blonde woman whispered, her words more akin to the beginnings of a mantra.

Tenma gripped her katana, abandoning all illusions of niceties.

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>"Hmm, we should be off now." Kaimi said, watching Dutch and Mystia trade words.<p>

The proclamation, out of nowhere, cut short the conversation between Dutch and Mystia as the two turned to the snail princess.

"The night is still young. We should get moving before the feral Youkai get really active." She continued.

Dutch paused, then nodded. "Indeed. It would be best to complete what I need quickly."

He turned to Mystia. "It was a pleasure talking to you and your servings were excellent. I think I might definitely come back here."

The night sparrow smiled. "That's nice to hear. Perhaps with better company next time."

"Oh my, such words." Kaimi moaned. Mystia sighed at the words before waving goodbye.

The duo left the stall out into the open air. Dutch looked up at the night sky, a tapestry of stars amongst the blackness.

"So, where to next?"

His partner smiled. "A safe place. For you to do your task."

"Lead the way."

The two took off again, quickly moving away from the fiery lights of the lantern into the dim light of the moon. Dutch quickly noted that surprisingly, the prior night blindness was gone with clear vision everywhere.

"The night blindness is gone." He said, straining to hear the whispering song from before. That was also gone too, leaving only the sounds of the forest and it habitants.

"Oh, It disappears once you have eaten from the source." Kaimi answered slyly.

The human paused as he took in the words. "Mystia uses it for her customers, doesn't she?"

"Why yes!" The snail princess giggled, clapping softly. "It is her main draw, her fishing hook. After all, once you have eaten there, you are inclined to return by virtue of taste and sight, for as good as her food is, being able to see in the forest is far better."

"I see."

They both kept up a rapid pace, Kaimi's graceful steps deceptively quick.

"It's going to be difficult to explain to the village guards." Dutch sighed as he looked up at the stars once more.

"You could always stay the night at my home." His partner invited.

"Could I really? I mean, I have essentially been calling on you for two days now. Staying overnight at your home might be pushing it."

"Oh it's only for a night."Kaimi laughed. "And you have been worthwhile company."

"Well then, thanks." He grinned gratefully.

They continued on for a few more minutes before Kaimi stopped. "We must delve into the forest now. Stay close." She warned.

"Lead the way." Dutch answered.

She made her way into the trees, the human close behind her. They moved through the trees, following an invisible trail that cut through the ground and roots.

Instinct made Dutch tense his glove. While his friend, for she had been nothing else, had shown grace, the same could not be said for the forest itself. His armor waited at a moment's notice, ready to phase into existence at the first sign of danger.

As He ducked under a branch, Kaimi stopped. She turned to him and smiled, welcoming in expression.

"We are here."

He walked up to her and paused. Beyond the trees was a small clearing, the change from woodland to open ground was so sudden it seemed almost artificial.

Dutch stepped past the trees onto the grass, looking up at the stars. "It is safe here?" He asked.

Kaimi nodded. "If it isn't, I will defend you." She said.

"Let's hope not." He answered, walking to the centre of the clearing and looked around, scanning the earth and trees.

Yes, this place was suitable.

An urge made him kneel down and touch the grass. Feeling the blades, Dutch was not expecting the voice that spoke in his head.

"Youngling, there is much to discuss."

And then he was pulled inside.


End file.
